The Dragon Tamer
by iggychan89
Summary: For the longest time, Ash has had the dream of becoming a Dragon Master of all things Dragon and Dragon-like. When he is late to pick up the Charmander he had his eye on from Professor Oak, he loses hope to begin his journey. He is then given a special Pokemon that will prove to be the best thing to ever happen to him.
1. Chapter 1: Pokemon, I Choose You!

**A/N: **2/20/2014

This is a total rewrite of chapter one. I'm afraid I am very unhappy with the early chapters of this story and I want to completely rewrite them. Well, some will have edits while chapters 1-3 will be totally rewritten to my liking. This is also to hopefully get me back into writing this story. It's been a long time since I posted anything and I feel bad about it. I actually have about 5k words written for chapter 10, I just need to get back into writing this story in order for me to finish it.

Oh, and, I've noticed some stories copying the old first chapter of this story. Some word for word while others edit things. Really people? All you have to do is ask me or give me credit in some form. I'm very disappointed in those of you who did this act of plagiarism. I'm strangely flattered as well, but it is still plagiarism and I don't appreciate that.

Anyway, on to the rewritten chapter! Hopefully people will like this!

**Chapter 1: Pokemon, I Choose You!**

A young ten year old boy by the name of Ash Ketchum sat on the floor of his bedroom staring at his television; transfixed by the images playing across the screen. It was shortly after midnight, and he knew he should have been in bed a few hours ago, but there was no way he was going to miss the Pokemon battle between Champion Lance and the challenger, who had made it past the other three Elite Four members without too much difficulty, that was set to start in a few minutes. So in a bid to keep his mother from finding out he was awake, he had stuffed some old shirts up against the bottom of his door, turned off his bedroom light, and turned the volume down to where he could still make out what was being said. Well, barely, anyway.

The would-be trainer had changed into his pajamas fifteen minutes ago just in case he needed to make a quick setup to fool his mom into thinking he was asleep if she came in to check up on him. This would not be the first time he had done this to watch late-night Pokemon battles so he was practically a pro at the act.

Stuffing a fist to his mouth to keep come exclaiming his excitement out loud, Ash focused his eyes on Lance as the champion made his appearance on the battlefield looking cool, calm and collected as he always did before all his matches. Ash's warm, brown eyes lit up in anticipation and he smiled around his fist as Lance grinned and shook hands with the challenger, Rodney Tusarks, before heading to his side of the field; cape billowing behind him in a show of power and confidence.

Soon the battle started and Lance sent out his Gyarados, who roared in challenge as it was released from its Poke Ball. Ash noticed that the champion always sent out his Gyarados first in these challenger battles. He just assumed it was a way to test the challenger to see if they were indeed worthy of challenging him. The thing was a behemoth on steroids, but it was nothing compared to the power of his two Dragonites. Still, its power was nothing to sneeze at. Ash had seen some matches where it took the challenger four Pokemon to take down Lance's Gyarados. Some challengers couldn't even lay a scratch on the powerful Water type even with a full team of six. It always made Ash wonder how those people made it past the first three Elite Four members in the first place.

Rodney sent out his Electabuzz to challenge the water dragon. From his previous battles, the would-be trainer knew that Electabuzz was one of Rodney's most powerful team members, so he was quite excited to see how it would fair against Lance's Gyarados.

An hour and a half later, Ash was squirming in an attempt to not shout and cheer at the amazing battle before his eyes. All too soon, for him anyway, the winner was decided and Lance kept his title by the skin of his teeth. Ash was glad he stayed up to watch this match, it was the most exciting battle with Lance in years! The champion actually had to _use_ his Dragonites!

_'That Rodney guy sure came prepared,'_ Ash thought as he stood up from the floor. He turned his television off and stretched to get the cramps and kinks out of his body from sitting for so long. Yawning, he turned to look at his digital wall clock and his eyes widened when he saw the time. _'Two in the morning?! Oh man I need to to get to sleep, I have a Pokemon to get today!'_ With that thought, the soon-to-be trainer quickly got into bed and under his covers, completely forgetting to set his alarm clock.

Though he was tired, Ash could not fall asleep right away, so he laid there staring up at the ceiling in thought. _'One day that challenger is going to be me!'_ Grinning at the thought, Ash fell back into his memories. When he was four years old, Lance had just become the new League champion at the young age of twenty and had held that title for six years now. So far, only one person has ever managed to defeat him, but who he or she was Ash did not know as he was in school during that match. He did hear that the person let him retain his title though. For what reason exactly was a mystery to him, but he figured he would find out one day.

Ever since he saw that battle between Lance and the former champion, the raven-haired boy had made the Dragon type user his idol and someone he wanted to become. Dragons became his passion that day and he studied everything he could on them, his previous displeasure of having to read and study _anything _totally forgotten. He had even enlisted the help of Professor Oak, much to his mom's approval, to learn more on Pokemon. Of course the guy was always busy to really teach someone, let alone a child, so Ash had asked if he could help around the ranch as a way to learn about the various species of Pokemon. Most of the time he spent his days outside on the ranch admiring all the Pokemon Professor Oak kept watch for trainers when the professor didn't have anything for him to do, especially the the Dragon types, which were few and far between as they were the rarest type after all.

Sadly, with him spending so much time with the old professor, it gained the jealousy and hatred of his one time friend Gary Oak.

Ash's thoughts turned sour when he started thinking of the arrogant brat and bully that Gary had become. He blamed Ash for not getting to spend as much time with his grandfather as he would have liked. That and he despised the fact that his grandfather seemed to like Ash so much for some reason.

Turning his thoughts away from the arrogant brunette, Ash started thinking of which starter he should choose. _'All three are really good, but my choice is between Squirtle and Charmander.'_ Working at the ranch all these years gave him a heads up on the starters that the trainers in Kanto got to choose from, and he was definitely enticed by Squirtle and Charmander. He had seen what their final forms could do from tournaments and league battles he watched on television, and while he gave props to Venasaur for its power, he was more interested in Blastoise and Charizard.

Sighing, Ash decided he would choose when he got to the lab later on. Turning on his side to face his bedroom wall, he finally fell asleep, dreaming that he had just beaten Lance with an unknown Pokemon in silhouette by his side through the entire battle.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash grumbled in irritation from under his covers as the loud call of the local Dodrio rang through the valley that Pallet Town resided in, waking all of those who were still blissfully asleep. Growling a bit as sunlight hit his eyes through his eyelids, Ash covered his head with his blanket and sighed in comfort as the annoying light vanished. Just as he was about to fall back asleep, the Dodrio called out once again, keeping him from his peaceful slumber.

Grumbling in irritation, Ash kicked his blankets off of him and sat up on his bed.

"Alright alright, I'm up," he mumbled to himself. Sighing, he rubbed his face and ruffled his messy raven locks, making his bed-head even worse. Not that he cared of course, his hair has always been a rather untidy bird's nest of spikes.

Letting out a huge yawn, Ash swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up, stretching his body as he did so. Moaning at the feeling, he flopped back down in a sitting position on his bed and let out another sigh.

"That Dodrio is going to be the death of me one of these days, I just know it," Ash said to himself as he continued to sit there on his bed trying to abate his sleepiness. "Oh well, at least I won't have to put up with it on... my... jour-" Eyes suddenly going wide, Ash swiftly looked at his wall calender where he had marked "Pokemon Journey Begins" on April the fourth and circled it with a red marker so he would not forget about it.

_'Wait... Yesterday was April the third!'_ Now starting to panic, Ash quickly picked up his Voltorb alarm clock and flipped it open to look at the time.

It read 11:24.

"AAAAAHHHHHH, I'M LATE," Ash shouted and started rummaging around his room for something quick to throw on. _'Why didn't mom wake me up?!'_ Hurriedly throwing on a pair of grey sweatpants and a black tee shirt, he practically flung open his bedroom door and raced downstairs, briefly noticing that his mother was not in the house.

Hastily slipping his only pair of sandals on his feet, he swung open the front door and slammed it behind him, not caring that Delia would have his ear for doing so, before running at top speed down the lane that led to Professor Oak's lab.

"Charmander... Bulbasaur... Squirtle... I don't care which one I get at this point, just save one for me," Ash uttered through his huffing as he ran.

Before long, he was at the bottom of the stairs that led up to Professor Oak's lab. He stood there with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath by taking in large gulps of air. _'Man, I didn't realize I was this out of shape!'_

After catching his breath, he ascended the stairs to the lab and pounded on the door while calling out to the professor. A moment later the door opened and Professor Oak came into view.

"Ah, Ash, I didn't think you were going to show up! Well, come in come in before you collapse boy," he told Ash and stepped aside, letting the young man step inside the building.

A blast of cold air from the air conditioning hit Ash's sweat-covered face. Only now did he realize just how hot it was outside and he sighed in pleasure at the cold air.

"Yes, it's quite the scorcher today if I do say so. Highly unusual for this time of year..." The professor trailed off as he led Ash into the lab part of his home. The raven-haired young man did not respond to this though, he was not in the mood for small talk.

Entering the lab, Ash glanced around before setting his eyes upon the professor.

"Professor, please tell me you saved a Pokemon for me?" Ash practically begged with his hands clasped in front of him and his eyes pleading with the professor. He suddenly looked devastated as the professor sighed and stared straight at him with a sorrowful gaze.

"I'm sorry Ash, I really am, but I had an unexpected new trainer show up today and I couldn't just turn him away," Professor Oak stated apologetically.

Ash nodded with a blank face. Legs suddenly feeling weak and numb, he sought out a nearby chair and flopped down in it, covering his face in his hands. He had to force himself not to cry at this point.

"Professor, don't you have _anything_ that I could have as my first Pokemon?" Ash pleaded after looking up at the professor with tears in his eyes.

The old professor just sighed and held his chin in his left hand as he thought. He felt horrible about this whole situation and he knew that Ash would not wait another year to get a starter Pokemon. Heck, even _he_ himself would not have done that!

"Alright Ash, wait here while I go and see what Pokemon I have that you could take with you," he told Ash and disappeared into another room.

Ash sighed and leaned back into his chair to get comfortable while he waited. He was not a happy camper about this whole thing, but he did not blame the professor for it. No, he blamed the whole system. If it were up to him, new and upcoming trainers would have to register at least a year in advance with the Pokemon League so that sponsoring professors would not run into this type of problem; they would have the starting Pokemon they needed for each trainer. _'Heh, maybe when I become the champion I'll have something like that put into place so that no one else has to feel the despair of something like this...'_

He was broken out of his thoughts as Professor Oak walked back into the room; a Poke Ball in his hand. Ash immediately launched out of his chair at the sight of the ball and his whole face lit up in glee. The professor came up to him with a gentle smile on his face and held out the Poke Ball for Ash to take.

"Here you go Ash. I originally wasn't going to give this Pokemon to anyone, but I figured if anyone deserved him, it was you," he said as Ash gingerly took the Poke Ball from the professor's hand.

"What is it?" Ash asked as he stared at the ball in reverence. The professor chuckled.

"Well, why don't you open it and find out," he said.

Taking a deep breath, Ash slowly extended his arm and tapped the top of the ball, causing it to open and emit a bright flash of light as the Pokemon within was released.

Clearing the spots out of his eyes that the bright white light caused, Ash tilted his head down and openly gaped at the Pokemon on the floor before him.

"Professor? Is that a- a-"

Professor Oak grinned.

"Indeed it is! I've known for years that you wanted to follow in Lance's footsteps and become a Dragon trainer, so I thought this little guy would be perfect for you to start with," he told the new trainer with a jovial tone to his voice.

Ash fell to his knees and gently picked up the small-for-its-species Pokemon after putting the Poke Ball into his right pants pocket and held it in front of him as he looked at the creature in awe. Said Pokemon just tilted his head and jaws to the side and blinked at his new trainer.

"Trap?" the Pokemon exclaimed in confusion. He had _never_ seen that look on a human's face toward _him _before.

"I can't believe you're giving me a Trapinch! Where did you even get him?" Ash asked the professor as he stood up and held his new Pokemon snugly against his chest, being careful not to hurt him. This was _better_ than receiving a Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle by a long shot!

Professor Oak's face fell at the question, but Ash did not notice as he was too busy admiring his new friend and partner.

"Well... I received him from Professor Birch over in Hoenn a few months ago. I had been studying Pokemon that lived in desert climates at the time and he offered to send me that Trapinch you're now holding. I eagerly agreed of course, but as soon as his Poke Ball arrived over the transporter, Professor Birch decided to tell me how he acquired Trapinch." Professor Oak sighed and closed his eyes. Ash's attention was now on the professor, both eager to hear how he got him and dreading to know at the same time.

"I could tell he was debating on telling me something the whole time we were talking. Anyway, he explained that one of his lab assistants found him rooting around someone's trash in Littleroot not too far from his lab. The assistant tried to capture him, but the Poke Ball just bounced off of him, indicating that he already belonged to someone. Apparently Trapinch wasn't all that afraid of the assistant and let him pick him up instead. He brought him back to the lab after that. My good friend then assumed Trapinch was a lost Pokemon as they don't naturally live around Littleroot Town and decided to put up a bulletin with Trapinch's information and a picture on the trans-regional website for lost Pokemon. When the three month limit passed and no owner was forthcoming, Birch decided to override the capture of the old Poke Ball and captured him in a new one," Professor Oak explained.

Looking shocked, Ash asked the old professor if he knew what happened to Trapinch's old owner. He just shook his head negatively.

"I'm afraid not, Ash. I can guess, however. Either his old owner died and the Poke Ball was never deactivated, doesn't or didn't know about the website, or..." Here he trailed off with a pained look on his face. "Or they abandoned him."

At the word "abandoned", Trapinch flinched against Ash's chest, though he tried to suppress the action. It did not stop Ash from noticing it, however, but the new trainer decided not to remark on it at the moment. Instead, he looked at Professor Oak with horrified shock.

"What?! People _abandon_ their Pokemon?!" The Pokemon professor just nodded sadly.

"Unfortunately, there are some trainers who do abandon their Pokemon for one reason or another. Regrettably, it's not against the law as it doesn't harm the Pokemon physically," he explained and sighed in irritation. Turning away from Ash so as not to show him how truly angry this made him feel, he clasped his hands behind his back and resumed talking.

"Those blasted lawmakers in the league don't seem to understand that it harms the Pokemon mentally and emotionally," he exclaimed loudly with conviction. Taking a deep breath, the professor calmed down and turned back to face the raven-haired child, who was looking down sadly at the Trapinch in his arms and softly rubbing the top of the Ground type's large jaws. Said Pokemon had his eyes closed and was making small noises of contentment at the gentle stroking from his new trainer.

The old professor smiled as he saw how happy Trapinch seemed at the moment. He originally was not going to give Trapinch to another trainer as he suspected the Ground type had indeed been abandoned by his previous owner, but he decided that he would give him to the one person he knew and trusted would take care of and love the little guy - Ash. They deserved each other was his thinking. It _was_ his own fault for not having a Pokemon ready for Ash when he eventually came by the lab, so what better way to make it up to him then to give him a Pokemon that evolved into the one type that the young man wanted to train above all else? On the other plus side, Trapinch got a trainer who would love him no matter what and never abandon him! It was a win-win situation in his eyes. Plus, he just _knew_ that the two of them would be as close as two peas in a pod; friends to the end.

The Pokemon professor's eyes glazed over and a small smile adorned his face as he got lost in his memories.

Snapping out of it quickly, Professor Oak suddenly clapped his hands, scaring both the trainer and Pokemon out of their wits.

"Right, enough of this doom and gloom talk, this is your first day as a trainer, you should be happy and ready for a brand new adventure in your life!" Ash smiled brightly at that, his sadness for the Pokemon in his arms totally forgotten.

"You're right professor! Well, thanks for giving me Trapinch, I really appreciate it! I'll see you in about a year, bye," Ash said as he tightened his grip on Trapinch slightly so as not to drop him (he did not want to put the Pokemon back into his Poke Ball just yet) and started making his way to the front door in a sort of sprint-walk. He stopped as the professor called out to him.

"Wait, Ash! I have some things to give you before you leave!" The new trainer stopped in his tracks and turned around just as the professor came up to him holding some items in his hands.

"Here, these are for you to help you out on your journey," he told Ash and said trainer took the items and examined them after putting Trapinch up on his shoulder to free his hands. He recognized the five Poke Balls of course, but he had no idea what the small, square and sleek black thing was. Slipping the Poke Balls into the pocket opposite of the one holding Trapinch's Poke Ball so as to not mix them up, he turned his complete focus on to the small black device.

"Hey professor, what is this thing," he asked in curiosity. Trapinch, too, looked curiously at it.

"Ah, that's the new advanced PokeDex I've been working on lately. It's only a prototype, so I was hoping you could test it out for me in the field as you travel," the professor replied with a hopeful grin.

"Wait, is this an upgrade to that older version of the PokeDex you created a few years ago? You know, the red one?" The professor shook his head signifying "no".

"No, not an upgrade per say, it's a brand new model that I have put a lot of work into. Here, let me have it for a second please." Ash handed it to him and Professor Oak turned it on its side and fiddled with a few of the buttons before handing it back to the new trainer. Ash looked confused, but the professor just took a pen and notepad out of his lab coat, ignoring him for the moment, and quickly wrote some things down on it and tore out the piece of paper he had written on. He handed the paper over to Ash and explained what he did.

"The new model is voice activated and only responds to the first voice that says that phrase I wrote at the top of the paper. Had I told you what to say, it would have then only responded to me and I would have had to reprogram it again. So go on, activate it," he said with an excited smile.

Looking up at the professor then at Trapinch, he shrugged and read the top-most phrase on the piece of paper. _'OK, got it.'_ Holding the PokeDex firmly in his hand, he said the phrase that would open it.

"PokeDex, activate!"

Ash almost dropped the thing from shock when the black apparatus started moving on its own. The top module slid upward until the bottom part of it was even with the top of the bottom module, exposing the bottom screen, then clicked into place. The lid covering the top part flipped open of its own accord, revealing the screen it was protecting. The whole process only took three seconds flat. The dual screens then turned on at the same time and a cool female voice droned out of the device.

"_Voice activation synthesis complete. Now waiting for new command._"

Ash stared at the apparatus in his hands in astonishment before grinning like a loon.

"Wow, this thing is awesome professor," Ash told him in amazement. Even the Pokemon on his shoulder was looking at it in awe. Professor Oak chuckled and thanked him.

"By the way, Ash, it also has a touchscreen mode for scrolling through information and taking notes at your leisure if you so wish. The stylus is hidden in the bottom, so you'll have to command the PokeDex to release it," he explained to the trainer.

"Wait, I can take notes with this thing? Cool, it acts like a notepad too," Ash exclaimed. Looking at the list of commands, he decided to try a couple.

"Deploy stylus!" A clicking sound was heard and Ash saw the blunt end of the stylus popped out from the bottom right of the device. Pulling it out, he noticed that a hole was left in its wake it put it back into.

"The PokeDex locks the stylus in place so it won't fall out on you and have you accidentally lose it," the professor explained. Ash just gave an "ah" at that and said a new command.

"Touchscreen mode!" At that command, the bottom screen flickered a bit and a menu popped up on it. _'Data Menu, Notes, Trainer I.D., and System Information huh? I'll have to look through them at a later date.' _Deciding he could play around with the PokeDex later, he slid the stylus back into its hole and another click was heard as the PokeDex locked it into place.

"OK, I can play around with this thing later, Trapinch and I have a journey to go on," Ash mumbled to himself and looked at the list of commands once more.

"Normal mode." The screen flickered once more and the menu disappeared.

"PokeDex, deactivate." Once more a clicking sound was heard as the top screen detached itself from the bottom screen and slid down over it. The cover for the top screen flipped up and over at the same time and closed down just as the top screen finished covering the bottom part of the apparatus. Once again, it only took about three seconds for the whole process to happen.

"Well I see that you like the new PokeDex,"Professor Oak commented on.

"You bet I do! Hey... Did the other trainers get this PokeDex by any chance," Ash asked out of curiosity with a tilt of his head.

"No, this is only the second prototype I've created. The others got the older version of the PokeDex instead. I would have given it to my grandson, but he's a bit, er... Well, a bit of a show-off to put it gently, and I don't know the other two trainers that well to entrust them with it. I actually planned to give it to _you _in the first place when I first started making it," Oak explained.

Ash was absolutely gobsmacked at that. The professor did not want to give the PokeDex to his own grandson? He nearly snorted out loud when he heard the professor say "show-off" as that was a huge understatement for the "Great" Gary Oak, but he held it in. Barely.

"Thank you so much for giving this to me Professor Oak," Ash said in gratitude. After all, how could he _not_ thank him for giving it to _him _over his own grandson?

Professor Oak just waved off his thanks.

"Think nothing of it my boy. Oh, and by the way, it does have manual control. There are buttons on each side that you can use just in case you don't feel like yelling out the commands for it," he said while chuckling a bit. Ash turned the device over in his hands looking at the various small buttons that were indeed located on each side. He looked back up when the professor continued to talk. "Right, well, I think it's time for the two of you to head out, don't you?"

Looking at a nearby clock, Ash noticed it was 12:45. Had he really been here _that_ long? He quickly, though gently, stuffed his PokeDex and command list into his right pocket, being careful not to let Trapinch's Poke Ball slip out.

The new trainer grabbed Trapinch off of his shoulder and held him once more to his chest; he did not want him falling off as he ran home after all.

Thanking the professor once more, he turned tail and left the lab for home. Hopefully his mother was home by now, he wanted to show her his new Pokemon!

**End of Chapter 1**

**A/N:** Yeah, so I hoped you liked the rewrite! This means I'll have to go through the chapters I'm not rewriting and fix things due to the changes I made with this chapter (though I might rewrite chapter 5, I'm not too happy with it either). Ah well.

Chapter 2 rewrite will hopefully be up soon now that I've gotten back into writing.

No Gary in this chapter, he shows up in chapter 10 for the first time.

If anyone sees any problems with this chapter (and I mean _any_) please leave a review letting me know so that I may fix it, thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: ?

**A/N:** Glad you guys enjoy the story! To those who leave reviews, check your inbox. I often reply to your reviews.

**Chapter 2: Rockin' the Brock**

It had taken three whole weeks for Ash and Trapinch to find their way to Pewter City.

The first week simply consisted of training and getting to know one another on the outskirts of Viridian City and stocking up on supplies. It was a good thing they _did_ stock up on supplies, because the last two weeks... Were spent trying to find their way out of Viridian Forest. After taking the wrong paths and heading in the wrong directions for two weeks straight, Trapinch finally got fed up and had to ask a wild Pidgeotto in the forest if it could lead them out of the natural maze. It accepted, after getting some food from Ash in return of course.

So that was where the trainer and Pokémon were now.

"Bye Pidgeotto, and thanks," Ash yelled out to the bird that was now flying in the opposite direction. He would have waved goodbye at it as well, but his arms were currently occupied with holding thirty pounds of Pokémon.

"Trap, Trap," Trapinch yelled out as well.

"Pidgooooooooooo," the wild Pidgeotto cawed as it flew further and further away.

Ash sighed from exhaustion and turned around to face the short path that lead to Pewter City. He could see the city lights shining up from the shallow crater valley, where it lay, in the twilight of dusk. It was a beautiful sight, Ash had to admit, since the city was normally rather dull looking in the day time. Of course, why wouldn't it be dull looking? The city was based around _rocks_ for pity's sake. It was quite a change from what it looked like normally. _'I feel rather sorry for the people who live there, really.'_

Sitting his backpack down on the ground in front of him, Ash opened it and transferred Trapinch, who was starting to nod off, from his arms into it before placing it back on his back and setting off down the road.

The rocking motion of his trainer's walking finally had Trapinch falling deeply asleep...

"- back for him in a bit, Nurse Joy."

Trapinch opened his eyes sleepily as he came out of dream land. He noticed he was in the arms of a woman rather than that of his trainer's. Looking over at Ash, he cried out as a feeling of panic overcame him. He wasn't going to be abandoned, not again!

Ash, somehow feeling his Pokemon's panic and not knowing how or why, reached over and stroked Trapinch's head to try and sooth his worries.

"Hey buddy, it will be alright. Nurse Joy is just going to give you a check up while I go and get cleaned up, alright? I'll be back for you before you know it," Ash said, and he could feel his Pokémon calm down somewhat.

"If you be good for her, we'll go to a steak restaurant for dinner tonight. How does that sound?" The trainer laughed as excitement coursed through his body. Excitement that wasn't his own.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

The next day, trainer and Pokémon stood outside the doors of the Pewter City Gym. Trapinch, from his position on Ash's shoulder, looked at the wooden double doors with both eagerness and trepidation. He was eager to prove himself to Ash as a capable and strong Pokémon, but he feared that if he failed, he would once again be abandoned. Though he knew, deep in his heart, he wouldn't be because his new trainer wasn't that kind of human, the fear still lingered.

He forcefully pushed the fear aside and replaced it with excitement. This was going to be the test, _his_ test to prove he was strong. To prove his old trainer wrong, and to prove to himself, once and for all, that it wasn't _he_ who failed himself, but his old trainer's fault. It was _him_ that failed his Pokémon, not the other way around.

Trapinch's eyes sparkled in determination.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash stared at the gym's doors deep in thought, not noticing that his Pokémon was also in the same situation.

_'Well,' _he thought, _'this is it. This is the first step of my dream to becoming a Dragon Master. Let's just hope I don't fail...'_ Ash silently gulped as he thought this. _'No! I can't think that! I need to be strong for Trapinch! I need to show him that I'm strong, that I'm a capable trainer worthy of training him.'_ The raven-haired trainer mentally slapped himself across the face. _'I can do this. No, _we_ can do this. Together.'_

Ash's eyes sparkled in determination.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Slowly opening one of the doors, and cringing a bit when it loudly creaked, Ash stepped into the gym. He noticed it was dark inside as he closed the door behind him. Both trainer and Pokémon looked back and forth in the darkness and jumped in surprise when stadium lights suddenly came on, illuminating the entire gym in a bath of bright light.

Blinking away the spots that were zooming around in front of his eyes, Ash looked across the gym floor and noticed a dark-skinned teen with spiky brown hair sitting cross-legged up on a raised platform. _'Who does this guy think he is, Buddha?'_

"Who goes there?" the teen called out to Ash. Trapinch growled at the teen's tone of voice, but calmed down when his trainer put a calming hand on his head.

_'OoooooooKkkkkkk...'_ Ash thought in bewilderment. _'Never heard of a gym leader acting like this, but whatever. I'll play along.'_

"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the gym leader for a Boulder Badge!"

"Very well," the teen announced and snapped his fingers. The gym suddenly started shaking as the floor split down the middle. Trapinch cried out in alarm when Ash hopped backwards, trying to get out of the arena before his feet were crushed.

Out of the floor rose a battle arena that had rocks scattered around the entire thing. _'Great, just great. A rocky field...'_

The teen finally stood up and walked to his side of the field.

"My name is Brock, this city's gym leader," the teen said, finally saying who he was. "This will be a one on one battle for the Boulder Badge. Does the challenger accept this condition?"

_'Well duh I accept, considering I only have _one_ Pokémon on me so far,'_ Ash thought, but out loud he shouted "I accept!"

"Fine, let's rock and roll!" Brock shouted out as he pulled a PokeBall off of his belt, enlarged it and tossed it out on to the field. He caught it as it came back to him after releasing his Pokémon.

The Pokémon that emerged was an Onix of average size, which meant it was huge. It gave a loud roar as it faced his opponent.

_'Just lovely, I was hoping for his Geodude. Oh well, this will give us a challenge at least.'_ "Trapinch, you're up!"

Trapinch turned his head to look at Ash and saw the determination in his eyes. His own determination flared and he jumped off of his trainer's shoulder and went underground, popping up on their side of the battlefield in a mere three seconds. _'Glad we figured out how to overcome his speed problem.'_

Brock's eyebrow raised when he saw the small Pokémon the trainer chose to battle him with. It was a species he'd never seen or heard of before, but he didn't comment. He'd learn what it was capable of in battle, after all.

"The challenger gets the first move," the gym leader called out.

Ash's eyebrows knit together at this. _'Is he trying to figure out Trapinch? Probably, but we won't let him this early on!'_

"Trapinch, underground," Ash commanded his Pokémon. _'Let's see how long his patience lasts, shall we?'_ The young trainer thought as Trapinch burrowed his way under the field. Brock didn't even last five minutes before he ordered his Onix to find Trapinch.

A minute passed and both trainers were waiting with bated breath. Finally, after waiting a few more seconds, Onix came out of the ground looking confused. Brock shared the same look as his Pokémon. _'Hah!'_

"Trapinch, use Sand Tomb!" Ash ordered. Brock looked utterly confused.

"Sand _what_?" Brock shouted. _'Thank you PokeDex!' _Ash thought as he heard Brock's exclamation.

Trapinch suddenly came rocketing out of the ground and landed a few feet away from his opponent. Opening his large jaws in an intimidating gesture, his whole body started vibrating and a funnel of sand and rock formed under Onix's body, entrapping the rock snake in a swirling vortex of pain. And painful it was too. Onix was roaring loudly in pain and thrashing, trying to escape the funnel. Its rock body could barely stand the sand and dirt chipping away at it.

"Onix, try and break free, then Tackle it!" Brock shouted in desperation. _'How... How can such a tiny little Pokémon have such power?'_ the gym leader thought to himself.

Finally, the vortex weakened enough that Onix was able to break free and tackle Trapinch head on, sending him flying through the air. He landed in front of Ash, on his stomach. Ash gasped out loud and kneeled down on the ground, being careful not to touch his Pokémon in any way, lest he be disqualified.

"Trapinch, get up! Come on buddy, get up! I know you can!" Ash said encouragingly and Trapinch opened his eyes slowly. He was thrown back into the past, to the very day he hatched where his parents encouraged him in nearly the same way from outside his egg. He couldn't understand what they were saying then, but he eventually learned the Pokémon language.

He was suddenly filled with renewed energy.

Brock studied the scene from the other side of the field and nodded to himself. _'I knew it, another rookie way in over his head. Though...'_ Looking over at his panting Onix, he assessed the damage. _'He sure did a number on my Onix. All the same, he lost.'_ He cleared his throat and readied himself to declare the match over. '_What did he call it again? Oh, yeah, Trapinch.'_

"Trapinch is una- Huh?" Brock stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the little Pokémon stand up slowly before turning around and glaring straight at him.

"TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!" the Ant Pit Pokémon roared out. Onix gave a roar in return. It was time for the serious battle to begin.

**End of Chapter 2**

**A/N: **Ha, a cliffhanger. I figured that would be a good place to leave off until the next chapter.

Next chapter, Ash adds a new Pokémon to his team! What will it be? Well, you'll find out next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3: Gettin' to the Poison Point!

**A/N:** Sorry for not updating this sooner, I've been too distracted to write this chapter and I had to force myself to start it. Oh and I also apologize for my relatively short chapters for this story; I'm a lazy son of a gun. XD

**Chapter 3: Gettin' to the Poison Point!**

It was a tense situation on the Pewter City Gym battlefield as Trapinch and Onix were staring one another down, waiting for someone to launch their attack first. Trapinch eyed the large Pokémon up and down, sizing him up this time. It was slow on land, much like himself, and relatively fast underground as well. Though, as he learned earlier, Onix couldn't hide and blend in with the dirt like he could. This gave him an edge, he realized, and he was going to use it.

Trapinch snapped to attention when he heard Ash call out a command.

"Alright Trapinch," Ash started, "let's use that Dig and Faint Attack combo we've been working on!"

"Trap!" the little Pokémon cried out before going underground once again. Onix looked around the field trying to determine where Trapinch was at that moment.

_'Another move I've never heard of...'_ Brock thought to himself. _'It doesn't sound too strong, but I won't let our guard down. I already underestimated that Pokémon once and I won't do it again!'_

"Onix, keep your guard up," Brock ordered his Pokémon. The rock snake gave no inclination that it heard his trainer, but it did curl up a bit into a defensive position. A few seconds later Trapinch popped out of the ground unseen and slammed into Onix from the right side before going back under the gym floor. Onix reared up and roared in pain from both the super effective attack combined with the neutral one. Trapinch repeated the attack from all angles for a couple of minutes before Brock got desperate.

"Onix, use Rock Throw and cover the entire field!" Brock shouted out. Onix, panting from all the attacks it was pelted with, raised its front body and tail in the air before slamming down on the floor, causing a small earthquake to erupt. It shattered all the large rocks on the field, sending them scattering. In a matter of seconds, the entire battlefield was covered in rocks, preventing Trapinch from easily escaping.

"No! Trapinch, hurry and get out of the ground!" Ash shouted out to his Pokémon. Trapinch managed to find a wide enough gap between the rocks to slowly dig his way out. He came out of the ground panting and covered in wounds. _'Gggggrrrrr, that small earthquake Onix caused damaged Trapinch a lot! What to do, what to do?' _Ash thought, but while he was thinking, Brock issued out another command. This one, however, would help out Ash and Trapinch instead of hurting them.

"Now, use Bind, Onix," Brock told his Pokémon calmly. The teen gym leader shook his head and gave a small chuckle. _'This match is over. I do have to admit though, they sure put up a good fight.'_ Brock thought as he watched his first Pokémon grab the exhausted Trapinch in its coils and begin to squeeze it.

"TRAP!" The Ant Pit Pokémon screamed in pain. He tried to wriggle free from the rock snake's tight grip, but it just made the pain worse.

Ash felt like crying when he both saw and felt his Pokemon's pain. _'What do I do? I can't recall him because of that attack and he can hardly move around. He's in so much pain right now... Wait a minute! A Trapinch's jaws can crush boulders easily! Although an Onix's rock body is tougher than an ordinary rock, it should still do some massive damage to it!'_

"Trapinch, use Crunch, now!" Ash ordered. Trapinch heard his trainer's order and opened his large jaws as they turned a deep purple color. Gathering a bit more energy to make the attack even more painful for his foe, he finally bit down on a segment of Onix's body. A large crack spread through the segment and Onix roared so loudly from the pain of the attack and the injury from it, that the entire gym vibrated from the noise.

All the people outside the gym who were passing by stopped and stared at the gym when they heard the noise from within.

Back inside on the battlefield, Brock's Onix finally let go of Trapinch and fell on to the floor, unconscious. Silence reigned in the gym for a few moments before both trainers saw Trapinch emerge from underneath Onix, panting heavily.

Brock recalled his Onix with a look of shock on his face. He looked down at the PokeBall in his hand and thought _'What... Just happened?'_

Meanwhile, Ash had run out on to the battlefield and picked up Trapinch, hugging him gently. "You did it! You won us the match Trapinch! I am so proud of you!" Ash excitedly exclaimed to his Pokémon.

"Trap... Trap..." Trapinch cried out softly, with tears running down his face. Finally, he felt truly loved and appreciated by his trainer. Even his old trainer never congratulated him on any of his wins. It was always "pathetic" or "was that the best you could do?" The sadness and despair that still slightly lingered in his heart and soul, finally receded for the first time in many months. He finally felt free and happy. Happy to live and happy to love. The heavy weight he carried was no more.

With that, the little Pokémon fell fast asleep, safe in the knowledge that he had made his trainer proud and happy and that he had done himself proud.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash looked down at his Pokémon with a sad, yet happy, smile. For the three weeks he had known his first Pokémon, the young trainer had felt something was weighing heavily upon his Pokémon's heart and mind. What, he didn't understand. Until just now, that is. He felt the pain and sadness disappear from his Pokémon the minute he uttered the words "proud of you." He understood now what Trapinch's old trainer did to him and he vowed that the day he met the jerk, he would pay for what he did to his precious partner. No one, person or Pokemon, deserved to be treated like they weren't worth anything in this world. To be looked down upon and treated like vermin was just as bad, if not worse, than any physical abuse a living creature could endure, in Ash's opinion. Healing physical scars was easy. Mental scars took far longer to heal, if they _could_ be healed. He knew from experience with Gary Oak, but he at least had his mother there for him.

Ash was just glad his Pokémon finally healed and could now move on in life, putting the past behind him. At least for now.

He returned Trapinch to his PokeBall for some rest and was broken out of his thoughts when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Ash turned around and saw Brock there, with a smile on his face.

"That was some battle Ash, thank you," Brock said.

"Yes, it was. It made me realize that we have to train far harder from now on if we want to continue winning. So I have to thank_ you_ for this battle," Ash responded, holding out his hand for Brock to shake. Brock grasped it and gave a friendly handshake to an awesome battle. He let go and rummaged around in one of his pockets before pulling something out. He held the item outstretched in his hand toward Ash.

"Here, you definitely earned this Boulder Badge. I learned as much from you as you learned from me," Brock told Ash.

Ash took the gray and ordinary badge with a "thank you" and clipped it to the inside of his jacket. He returned his attention to Brock when he heard the teen hum, and saw that he was looking off into the distance at nothing.

"You know," Brock started to say, "I never wanted to be a gym leader or a trainer. My real passion has always been to travel and to become the world's greatest Pokémon breeder. Taking care of Pokémon is something I prefer over battling."

"Then why don't you come with me Brock? We could travel together!" Ash suggested. Brock simply shook his head and sighed.

"I wish I could, but I can't. I have to take care of the gym and my younger siblings while my parents are away," Brock stated.

"Oh..." Ash sighed. He was disappointed that he wouldn't be getting a traveling partner, but "them's the breaks" his father always said. "Hey, if you ever manage to get out and travel, we might meet up. Who knows?"

"Yeah, it's highly likely that we would if I ever get to," Brock said. "Anyway, I have to get home and fix lunch for my siblings after closing the gym for the afternoon and healing Onix at the Pokémon Center. Come on, I'll walk you out." With that, he turned toward the front doors and started walking to them. Ash followed.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

"Goodbye Ash, and good luck on your journey," Brock told the young raven-haired trainer outside the Pokémon Center before he turned and headed toward the outskirts of the city.

"Thanks Brock, and good luck to you on becoming a Pokémon breeder!" Ash called out to the teen as he walked away. Brock turned around and waved before continuing on home. Ash exhaled a breath of air and turned his head to look at a now healthy Trapinch on his shoulder.

"Well buddy, what do you say we continue on?" Ash asked his Pokémon friend.

"Trap!" The Pokémon nodded. Ash smiled and pulled out a folded up map from his pocket. Unfolding it and straightening it as much as he could, he looked it over.

"Hm... If we go towards Route 3, it'll lead us to Mt. Moon and from there, Cerulean City. But that's a Water type gym, and while I have total confidence in you Trapinch, I don't feel as confident or comfortable going up against a gym that you are weak to without other Pokémon." Trapinch looked a bit sad at this, but perked up again when Ash continued. "Instead, we'll take the southern route out of the city and take Diglett's Tunnel to Vermilion. There's an Electric type gym there, it'll be perfect! After that, we'll swing back around and head up to Cerulean. By then we should have at least two new team members. What do you think, buddy?"

Trapinch nodded his head vigorously at the plan. He was very happy with it. His trainer was right of course; their prospects of winning against a Water type gym were zero to none at this point. If he could evolve, he knew he could stand up to Water types much better, but he had a feeling evolution, for him, was far away.

"We'll take the Underground Path to bypass Saffron for the time being when we leave Vermilion City." With that, Ash folded up his map again and put it in his pocket. He turned to the direction he entered the city in, and headed out.

Half an hour later and he and Trapinch were on the path that led directly to the entrance of Diglett's Tunnel. Ash stopped walking in the middle of the path when he heard rustling in a nearby bush.

"Trapinch, you hear that?" Ash whispered to the Pokémon on his shoulder. Trapinch nodded and focused a sharp gaze on the bush that was making the noise. Five seconds later and something small and purple, with large ears and spikes down its back, jumped out from the bush. It turned and faced Ash and Trapinch and got into a fighting stance.

"Ne ne," the wild Pokémon cried.

Ash looked at the Pokémon and blinked before he realized what it was. "Oh cool, a male Nidoran! Not necessarily a Dragon type, but it's still one of my favorites! OK Trapinch, get ready to battle!" Ash told his partner. Trapinch jumped off of his trainer's shoulders and faced the wild Nidoran, getting into a fighting position as well. Both Pokémon stared at each other before the Nidoran charged at Trapinch, its head bowed so that the horn was facing forward.

"That's Horn Attack! OK Trapinch, we have to be careful here or it might poison you if it manages to hit you. Underground, now!" Ash ordered Trapinch. Trapinch jumped before diving under the dirt and out of the line of fire. Nidoran slid to a stop and looked around confused.

"Now, use Sand Tomb from underground," Ash said and he saw what looked like a whirlpool of Earth form underneath the Nidoran, trapping half of its body under the ground. It cried out and began to swing its front legs around, trying to break free. Trapinch came out of the ground at this point and landed in front of the helpless Pokémon struggling to get free.

"Alright, finish it off with Sand-Attack!" Trapinch turned around, his back end now facing the Nidoran, and began to furiously kick up dust with his back legs. The wild Nidoran began to cough and sneeze as dust and dirt flew up its nose and mouth.

"Alright, that's enough. Good job!" Trapinch smiled at the compliment before returning to Ash's side. The young trainer then pulled out an empty PokeBall and chucked it at the Nidoran, who at that point was resigned to being captured. It was sucked into the ball and only shook three times before falling still with a "ding." Ash threw his hands into the air and gave a whoop of joy before running over to pick the PokeBall off of the ground. He walked back over to Trapinch and placed him on his shoulders once more.

"We got ourselves a new friend, buddy!" Ash exclaimed. Trapinch let out a cry of happiness at this. He was getting rather tired of being the only Pokémon. While he loved Ash, he did miss having some Poke Pals to talk to.

"Come on, let's get to Vermilion as quickly as possible. We need to get some training in before we face anymore gyms." Straightening his hat, he walked over to the large entrance to Diglett's Tunnel thirty feet in front of him. He looked down into the hole and whistled.

"No wonder people rarely take this thing," Ash said. Trapinch could only nod in agreement. "Come on, let's get going." Grabbing a hold of the ladder, he carefully climbed down it to the bottom. Once at the bottom, Ash looked forward and noticed the glowing, blue crystals that lined the walls and ceiling.

"Wow, this is beautiful," Ash murmured.

"Tra~p..." Trapinch agreed in wonder.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Two, long, and dirty hours later Ash and Trapinch emerged from the long tunnel. Both quickly closed their eyes and winced in pain as the sudden sunlight hurt their eyes.

"Yeah, won't be taking _that_ tunnel again for a loooooong time," Ash stated as he looked down at his filthy clothes. He winced at the sight of them. "Yup, definitely won't." Trapinch was still trying to get the spots out of his eyes so didn't respond.

The young trainer pulled out his map and looked at it. "Looks like Vermilion is only a mile from here. Thank goodness!" he mumbled to himself before putting the map away again.

"Come on, the quicker we get there, the quicker we can get cleaned up and get a nice clean room at the Pokémon Center to stay at." Trapinch nodded eagerly at that as Ash turned and headed into the direction of Vermilion City.

**End Chapter 3**

**A/N:** Well, there's the end of chapter 3. Hope you enjoyed it! In chapter 4 Ash trains his Pokémon and takes on the Vermilion gym!

Oh and a cookie to whoever gets the glowing crystals in a cave reference.


	4. Chapter 4: An Electrifying Match!

**A/N:** Well, only one person got the reference right, so a cookie goes to reviewer Macalao! On that note, I wish you guys that disable the function would allow Private Messages to come through. Sometimes I go to answer your reviews and it comes up that you have PMs disabled... I get a sad face when that happens.

**Chapter 4: An Electrifying Match!**

Ash, Trapinch, and his new Pokémon Nidoran, stood in an open field just outside of the port city of Vermilion. After getting to the Pokémon Center and having his Pokémon healed and renting a room for the duration of his stay in the city, he took his two friends and partners out to a popular all-you-could-eat buffet near the docks for an early dinner as a pre-gift for all the training they were going to endure for the next two and a half weeks. The night was ruined, for the _other_ customers and the staff, when the trio ate nearly everything in the restaurant. They were promptly, and quite literally, kicked from the restaurant. Ash had recalled both of his Pokémon into their PokeBalls since they had fallen asleep on the pavement, and hobbled back to the Pokémon Center to get some shut-eye himself after such a filling meal.

The next day the raven-haired young trainer took his two Pokémon out to an open field just outside the city, which was where they were now.

Ash looked between his two Pokémon laying down in front of him relaxing, studying them with a calculating gaze. _'Hm... Trapinch is obviously a very slow Pokémon on land; we established that a few weeks ago. We'll have to start working on that as best we can. Nidoran, on the other hand, is a fairly speedy Pokémon. Though I can still see room for improvement. If we ever evolve him into Nidoking, he's going to need all the speed he can get in his early two stages,' _Ash thought as he looked between his two partners with his hands on his hips. He suddenly clapped his hands, making his two Pokémon jump into the air out of surprise at the noise.

"Alright you two, we're going to start working on your speed for the next couple of days. Maybe more if need be. After that we'll get to learning a new attack or two that will benefit the both of you in battle," Ash said, shifting his eyes between the two creatures at his feet. Both Pokémon grimaced at the thought of speed training and groaned.

"Don't give me that! Most Electric type Pokémon are fast on land and we need to be able to at least be able to catch up to them," Ash explained. Trapinch glared at his trainer.

"Trap, trap, Traaaaaaaaap, Trap!" Trapinch exclaimed loudly. Ash looked down at him.

"Look, Trapinch, I _know_ you're fast underground, but not all gyms and stadiums are made out of dirt! And until you evolve you are stuck on the ground, so we are going to work with what we have _now_, do you understand?" Ash told his first Pokémon. Trapinch looked down and nodded, ashamed at his outburst. Ash sighed and bent down to pick up the Pokémon. He hugged him gently.

"I know you aren't looking forward to this, but believe me, it will help in the long run. Alright?" Ash put the Pokémon down and turned to kneel in front of Nidoran. He reached out to stroke the purple Pokémon on the head, avoiding the horn. He was quite surprised at how soft his fur was since he was so used to feeling the hard and smooth texture of Trapinch's exoskeleton for the past few weeks. "You'll help Trapinch get faster on land, won't you buddy?"

Nidoran purred at the feeling; his rodent-like teeth chattering together in pleasure. He nodded to the question asked by his trainer. Ash smiled at this and stood up again, wiping off the dirt and grass that was sticking to his jeans.

"Great! You guys go ahead and get started on that while I go find some boulders for you to practice attacking on for later this week." With that, Ash walked off and entered into the forest that surrounded the clearing. Nidoran watched him walk off before turning around the face Trapinch, who had his head down.

"Ne. Ne ne ne?" Nidoran asked. Trapinch looked up at his fellow Pokémon and shook his head in a negative way. Nidoran looked thoughtful for a minute before walking up to the Ant Pit Pokémon. He bent down and looked at the stubby legs that supported Trapinch. He made a tsking sound that came out to sound more like clicking and circled Trapinch a few times.

An idea suddenly came to him. Though whether it would work or not, Nidoran didn't know, but it was worth a shot.

"Ne, ne ne!" he cried, getting Trapinch's attention. Trapinch looked at the Poison Pin Pokemon and watched as he curled up into a ball and tried to roll, but failed and ended up on his back.

"Ne?" Nidoran encouraged as he righted himself. Trapinch tilted his head a bit in thought, and gave a mental shrug before tucking his head in a bit and flipped. He landed on his back and started panicking when he couldn't flip over on to his stomach.

"TRAP!" Trapinch screamed out. Nidoran quickly ran over and flipped him over with his horn so that he was on his feet again.

Trapinch breathed a sigh of relief and turned to glare at the purple rodent.

"Trap, Trap Trap Trap!" He yelled. Nidoran adopted an apologetic look.

"Ne ne," Nidoran said, apologizing. He shook his head and looked off into the trees, noticing that Ash still wasn't back yet. Though he heard sounds of struggling and assumed his trainer had found a boulder and was now attempting to get it into the clearing.

Nidoran tapped his right front leg on the ground and felt the Earth shift a bit underneath his claws. Suddenly, another idea popped into his head. He turned to look at Trapinch once again.

"Ne, ne ne," he said, and Trapinch looked at him, glaring, but not saying anything. Ignoring the glare, Nidoran started hopping around the clearing. He stopped in front of the Ant Pit Pokémon and told him to try it.

Trapinch looked at Nidoran in thought. He always jumped up before going underground, but he never thought he could use the skill on land. Well, it was better than trying to run, so why not? Bending his legs a bit, he jumped a few inches forward. It was an odd, but good feeling, so he tried it again. And again. And again. Soon he was jumping around the clearing, chasing after Nidoran who decided to run instead of jump.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash rolled the large boulder to the edge of the clearing and dropped his sore arms to his side. _'Phew! Next time I'll go for smaller rocks.'_ Looking out into the clearing, he saw what he thought was a strange game of tag happening between his Pokémon. _'Trapinch is... Jumping? Guess he really _can't_ run on land. This is just as effective it seems, plus it will really help in dodging attacks more effectively.' _ Walking over to the middle of the clearing, he stopped in front of his now tuckered out Pokémon.

"Well, seems you guys came up with a good solution. Great job," the trainer said, congratulating the two tired Pokémon. They both smiled before standing up on tired legs. "Come on, if you're _that_ tired from running and hopping around for a few minutes, then we have a lot of work ahead of us."

The horrified looks on his Pokemon's faces didn't deter Ash one bit about their training.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Over the next few days, both Trapinch and Nidoran improved little by little on their jumping and running speed. Trapinch was getting better at jumping farther distances and jumping higher, but it was a slow going process. Nidoran focused more on running but also mixed in jumping to help with attack dodging. He was slowly getting better at running for longer periods of time without having to take breaks. While it was slow going, Ash was pleased with their progress. Though today he was going to mix it up a bit.

"Okay guys, it's time to change the plans for today," he said, getting his Pokemon's attention immediately. "For today and the next three days, we are going to mix in attacking with your speed training. This will not only help you in attacking moving targets, but it will also help with getting you to use your attacks faster. If we need more time for this, I will add an extra day or two. It depends." Trapinch and Nidoran cheered at the thought of _finally_ getting to attack one another. "After this, we'll start with learning a new attack for each of you. I'll be over near the edge of the clearing going through my PokeDex if you need me for anything, okay?" Both Pokémon nodded as Ash walked away and sat down on one of the flatter boulders he had rolled into the clearing yesterday and pulled out his PokeDex. The Pokémon then started on their training session for the day.

_'Hm... Trapinch already has attacks that are super effective against Electric types, but Nidoran has none. Let's see what Ground moves it can learn, if any.'_ Ash thought as he went to the male Nidoran's PokeDex entry and pushed a button that would take him to a list of possible moves Nidoran could learn. His eyes widened and he whistled at the large list of possible attacks it could learn. _Wow! What a list! He could even learn Electric attacks! We'll definitely be learning those, but they won't be needed for this gym. We'll work on those afterward. Let's see... The only Ground type attack it can learn at this point is Dig? Better than nothing I suppose. It should be easy to learn with Trapinch helping him.'_ He looked up from the screen when he heard a squeal of pain and saw that Trapinch had somehow jumped on top of Nidoran and was using his heavier weight to hurt him. Shaking his head in amusement, Ash turned his attention back to the screen and decided to check out what moves Trapinch could learn.

_'Holy cow, Solarbeam and Giga Drain? We'll definitely be working on those soon. But for the time being, we'll work on Body Slam since it seems like he is already trying to learn it.'_ Ash laughed at the image of his Ground type slamming a random Raichu with his entire body from the air. _'I think we'll also work on this Earth Power attack that he can learn. I don't think he'll have it down pat by our gym battle, but it won't hurt to start learning it. I suppose Nidoran should start learning this Shock Wave attack soon as well. We'll move up in power to Thunderbolt once he masters it. I have a feeling it will take a much shorter time for him to learn Shock Wave than for Trapinch to learn Earth Power...'_

The young trainer was right of course. On the day he started teaching them their new attacks, both got Dig and Body Slam mastered in two days. The day after that, he started teaching them Earth Power and Shock Wave. It was a nightmare for both of his Pokemon.

Nidoran could barely even get a static charge going and Trapinch was having major trouble splitting the Earth in two; even underground. Though he did manage to get a small crack to form on the first day.

At the end of the final day before the gym match in Vermilion City, Ash sat on the ground in the clearing with both his Pokémon in his lap; petting them. They looked so disappointed in themselves that it tugged at Ash's heart.

"Come on guys, cheer up! You did great with those advanced attacks for the first time. I'm sure in a few weeks time you will be able to do them perfectly," Ash said, trying to get a smile on their faces. It worked, somewhat, as they looked up at him with sad smiles. The trainer picked them up and set them on the ground before standing up and dusting himself off. He went over to the one lone boulder that had managed to survive their attack onslaught the last two weeks and gathered up his supplies before returning to his Pokémon.

"Alright, let's get back to the Pokémon Center and get a good night's sleep tonight. We have to be rested for tomorrow's gym battle." Ash picked up Trapinch and put him on his shoulder while returning Nidoran to his PokeBall and walking off toward Vermilion, where he saw the sun was just beginning to set.

When they got to their room at the Pokémon Center, Ash released Nidoran and the both of them fell asleep quickly. Trapinch however, took a little longer to fall into dreamland. It took him an hour or so, but eventually he did.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash stood alone outside the Vermilion Gym the next day. He heard about this gym leader teasing challengers for their small and unevolved Pokémon before they battled from the trainers at the Pokémon Center, and so decided to keep his two Pokémon inside their PokeBalls until the match. He wanted to keep the teasing to a minimum. If there was one thing Ash hated the most in this world, it was being teased. _'Stupid Gary...'_

Taking a deep breath, Ash opened the tall doors to the gym and noticed he was in some sort of waiting area. Of course, he didn't have to wait long for someone to notice he was there.

"Why are you here, kid?" Ash turned toward where the voice came from and only saw the person in shadow.

"I've come to battle Lt. Surge for a Thunder Badge," Ash said in a confident voice. More voices suddenly chimed in, laughing. Ash turned red out of anger at this.

"Hey boss, you've got another victim for the emergency room," a nasally female voice mockingly said.

"Oh really? Well, let me get a look at 'im," a deep male voice said from the back. The voice had an accent, but Ash couldn't place it. He forgot all about it when the guy stepped forward out of the shadows though.

Eyes going wide and jaw dropping, Ash stared up at the abnormally large blond man in an army outfit. _'Whoa, this guy is HUGE!'_

"This kid's my challenger? Heh, this'll be easy. Okay baby, follow me," Surge said, putting a large hand over Ash's hat and rubbing it. Ash growled and swatted the large hand away. Surge turned and started walking down the hallway laughing. _'I'll show you, you jerk!'_ The young trainer thought as he was following the cocky gym leader.

They arrived at the battlefield and went to their respective sides. Ash looked around in astonishment at the size of the thing. _'This gym is bigger than Brock's!'_ He returned his attention to Surge, who was on the other side of the field wearing a smirk on his face. Ash glared at him. _'What a cocky son of a-'_ But he was interrupted from his thoughts by a voice over an intercom.

"This will be a one on one match between the gym leader, Lt. Surge of Vermilion City, and Ash Ketchum, the challenger, from Pallet Town. Trainers, please choose your Pokémon," the voice called out and Ash was stricken. _'Only one? I'll wait to see what Surge chooses first.'_ He looked over at the gym leader, who had apparently already decided on his Pokémon and was ready to throw it out onto the field.

"Alright Raichu, let's end this battle quickly! Go!" Surge called out and threw his PokeBall out on the floor, catching it as it came back. Out of the PokeBall came a rather large Raichu with the same cocky expression as its trainer. _'Great, this thing is smug too. Hm... That's a big Raichu. Definitely larger than some of the ones I've seen on TV. Thicker in arms, legs, and body all around. This thing was made for attacking, not for speed! Alright, sorry about this buddy but...'_

"Nidoran, time to battle!" Ash called out and threw the PokeBall. Nidoran came out and got into a battle position simply with a cry of "Ne ne." Lt. Surge looked at Nidoran with a shocked look before he slapped a hand to his head and busted out laughing.

"Ahahahahaha! You expect to battle me with _that_ runt?" He taunted. Both Nidoran and Ash growled. "Fine by me! Raichu, end this pathetic battle now with a Thunderbolt!"

"Rrrrraaaaaaaaiiiiiiiii~" the Mouse Pokémon cried out, pressing its electrical pouches on its cheeks to generate electricity for the Thunderbolt attack. Ash wasn't having any of that though.

"Nidoran, underground," Ash told his Pokémon, and Nidoran complied by quickly digging under the gym. He was just in time too as the Thunderbolt from Raichu hit the spot he was in before he went underground.

"WHAT?" Surge shouted when he noticed his opponent's Pokémon missing from the field. Raichu, realizing it missed its foe, quickly looked around the field to try and find it. The electric mouse was suddenly hit from underneath by Nidoran and sent flying back towards Surge.

"Raichu, get up and shake it off," Surge commanded his Pokémon. Raichu got up with no problem and glared at the now smirking Nidoran. "Okay, so Electric attacks are a no go. Go in for a Mega Kick instead!" Raichu growled in anger at being bested for once, and charged with ferocity at Nidoran.

_'Ah, here comes his frontal assault.'_ Ash thought. "Nidoran, dodge his attacks just like we trained!" Nidoran got into jumping position and watched Raichu's movements carefully. At the right moment, he jumped to the side and watched as Raichu, with its right foot forward, fall and go sliding past him. It got up, and with cheeks crackling out of anger, started a barrage of Mega Kicks and Mega Punches, without a command, that all missed as Nidoran jumped out of the way of each attack.

Raichu, fed up with the little purple runt dodging its attacks, tried one last thing - Tail Whip. It swung its long, thin tail around just as Nidoran jumped and scored a hit, knocking him to the ground.

"Ne!" he cried out in surprise.

"Alright, we got 'im right where we want 'im Raichu. Finish him off with a Body Slam!" Surge exclaimed excitedly. Raichu smiled evilly and reared up over Nidoran before slamming the entire weight of its body upon the much smaller Pokémon. Nidoran cried out from the massive pain of it.

"NIDORAN!" Ash cried out in alarm and knew there was nothing his Pokémon could do right now. He was going to lose this match, he just knew it.

"Ahahahahahaha, this match is over baby! Raichu, give it two more Body Slams and end this!" Surge said. Raichu complied and slammed down onto Nidoran again, causing him to cry out in pain once more. The purple glow surrounding his body went unnoticed by all.

Ash watched, stricken with worry, as his Pokémon got beat up badly and was about to be finished off with one last attack. His first defeat... At the hands of some cocky punk of a gym leader. Oh the humiliation.

Raichu reared up one final time to finish off its foe and was about to slam down when he suddenly flinched back from a sudden onslaught of pain and sickness. The mouse fell back on its butt and sat shaking.

All Surge could do was stand gaping at his Pokémon in astonishment. Ash on the other hand quickly pulled out his PokeDex when he finally noticed the purple glow surrounding Nidoran. The PokeDex finally sounded off some information on what was happening.

**Poison Point. This ability can sometimes activate when a Pokémon is attacked physically. Poison Point poisons the opponent.**

Ash's eyebrows shot past his hairline. _'Ability? Pokémon have abilities? Why haven't I discovered this before? Oh well, better late than never.'_ "Nidoran, can you get up?" Ash asked. Nidoran slowly got to his feet and turned to face Raichu. "Alright! Time to turn the tables around in this match. Use Double Kick!" Nidoran backed up a bit before charging and jumping with his two back feet forward. Raichu could do nothing but accept the attack and fell on its back, leaving a small crater as the Poison Pin Pokemon's Double Kick nailed home.

"Now send it flying with a Horn Attack!" Nidoran gave a battle cry and charged at the poisoned Pokémon with his horn forward. The impact with Raichu sent it flying right in front of Surge's feet. It struggled to get up, but the poison along with the attacks and the earlier exhaustion from trying to hit Nidoran kicked in and it fell backwards in a faint.

As he looked down at his fallen companion, all Surge could do at that moment was throw his hands up and slap them over his head and shout.

"UNBELIEVABLE!"

**End Chapter 4**

**A/N: **Yes, I am using what moves each Pokémon can learn from the 5th generation. As to how Ash learned of those unknown moves? Well, you can use your imagination on that.


	5. Chapter 5: Our Ship Has Sunk

**A/N:** A poll has been posted on my profile, so go vote if you would please if you already haven't done so. I will be putting up a new one just like it later on when I close the current one.

I have one thing to say to the anon reviewer Shades of Grey: You don't like the way I tell my story? Then go read something else. Or better yet get an account and write your own damn story. Stop _demanding_ me to do this and that. As it is, your rudeness has caused me to strike any future _demands_ or suggestions that you might try to give me. Now, _please_ grow up and stop being an immature little brat. If you had a few issues with my story, then you should have told me in a mature manner that I would have taken seriously. I would have deleted your current review (especially since you just copied and pasted your rude remark about my reference from your last "review" that I deleted), but this one is staying up to show others just what an ass you are being. Congratulations, welcome to my "Jerk List." You're member number one; you should feel proud.

Now, on to story matters. If you hadn't noticed, I refer to any Pokémon that doesn't belong to Ash simply by "it" or their name. This is to help with identification and other things that might happen later on (like battling the same Pokémon).

This chapter, Ash gains a powerful new team member. What will it be? Just read and find out!

**Chapter 5: Our Ship Has Sunk**

Ash looked down at his shiny new Thunder Badge that he held in his hands as he walked to the Pokémon Center to get Nidoran healed from his previous battle against Lt. Surge's Raichu. He smiled at it before clipping it to the inside of his jacket, just below his Boulder Badge. The euphoria from winning the gym battle had pretty much worn off at this point.

Reaching up to his shoulders, Ash stroked Trapinch on his smooth jaw.

"Well buddy, we have two badges down and have six more to go," he said to his Pokémon partner. Trapinch let out a sound of agreement. "Let's go all the way, Trapinch! No one will stand in our way!" The little ant lion gave an excited cry of "Trap" in response to Ash's enthusiasm and determination.

Walking into the Pokémon Center when they reached it, Ash held out Nidoran's PokeBall to the Nurse Joy behind the counter.

"Could you heal my Nidoran, Nurse Joy? He had a rough battle against Surge's Raichu," the young trainer asked. Nurse Joy took the PokeBall from Ash's hand.

"Of course, I'd be happy too. I hope it isn't _too_ beaten up like the other patients that came in from that gym this month. Otherwise you may have a bit of a wait on your hands," Nurse Joy stated. Ash simply shook his head no.

"Nah, not too bad. The worst of the damage was from a Body Slam," Ash told her. Joy's eyes widened a bit, but didn't comment. She told the trainer it would be about thirty minutes before she walked off to heal his Pokemon. Ash sighed before turning around to face the front of the building. He leaned up against the counter and turned his head to the right when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was a videophone.

"Hey, Trapinch," Ash addressed his Pokémon, who had zoned out into his own thoughts, "how about we give Professor Oak a call?" Trapinch nodded once he registered what his trainer had said, and Ash walked over to the booth, sat down, and dialed the number for Oak's Research Lab. About ten rings later with no answer, Ash hung up the phone, now in an annoyed mood. Trapinch also felt annoyance at this, though he didn't know why.

"The _least_ he could do is put an answering machine in!" Ash complained, then slumped, rubbed his face, and sighed. "I'll try calling him again when we get to Cerulean City I guess." Walking over one of the benches at the front of the building, the trainer sat down and pulled out his PokeDex. Pushing a few buttons, he pointed the device at Trapinch.

"Nidoran had an ability, let's see if _you_ do, buddy." Trapinch tilted his head at Ash's statement, but blinked when his trainer's PokeDex beeped when it found the information it was looking for.

**Sheer Force. This ability increases the power of attacks that have a secondary effect. The secondary effect is negated, however.**

Ash whistled when he heard that. "No wonder your Crunch attack is so strong!" Trapinch puffed out his chest in pride at his rare ability. He knew that very few Trapinch could obtain Sheer Force, and for him to have it made him rather special. Trapinch wondered if he would keep it when he eventually evolved.

Something stirred inside the little antlion each time when he thought about evolving. This time was no exception. He had no idea what it was, but it felt like two warring forces trying to escape from within his own energy. Both were fighting for dominance, but neither one were winning. He knew it wasn't the powerful energy needed to evolve, but something else entirely. It wasn't an incredibly strong feeling, so Trapinch figured it wouldn't matter until he fully evolved into Flygon.

Trapinch decided to stop thinking about evolving and the feeling finally and swiftly went away. It wasn't a bad feeling per say, but it was a bit annoying. He turned his attention to the counter when he saw Nurse Joy come out of the door that lead to the operating room.

"Mr. Ketchum? You're Nidoran is all healed," Nurse Joy called out. Ash put away his PokeDex, stood up, and walked over to the front counter. Taking Nidoran's PokeBall out of the nurse's hand, he thanked her and turned to leave before she stopped him.

"I almost forgot, here is your ticket," she said, handing Ash the ticket she held in her hand. He blinked and looked down at it.

"Uh... The S.S. Anne?" Ash questioned, rather confused as to why the nurse would give him a ticket for a boat. Trapinch was also confused as he studied the ticket in his trainer's hand.

"Yes. It's a luxury cruise liner that circles the globe once a year. Right now they are holding a party for all the trainers who pass through Vermilion City before it sets off. Normally you have to pay for the tickets, but the captain came by early this morning and handed me some tickets to hand out for free to all the trainers who manage to defeat the Vermilion gym." Nurse Joy explained. Ash's face lit up in excitement for a minute then fell.

"Oh... I would love to go to the party, but we have to head north to Cerulean City..." Ash said, rather downhearted. Trapinch also felt sad about having to miss a party since he had never been to one. Nurse Joy spoke to cheer the two up.

"Oh don't worry, the ship always stops at the port in Cerulean City to pick up more passengers before heading out," she told Ash and he brightened up instantly and punched a hand in the air. Trapinch nearly fell off of his shoulder when he did that.

"Alright! Let's go have some fun Trapinch!" Ash plucked the Pokémon from his shoulder and held him to his chest before flying out of the Pokémon Center. He nearly crashed into the automatic doors when they didn't open fast enough.

Nurse Joy giggled at his childish antics and attitude.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

"Argh, which stupid boat is it?" Ash yelled into the sky, gripping his head with both hands. Trapinch was safely tucked away in his trainer's backpack, looking around in awe at all the huge ships docked beside the boardwalk that ran the length of the city. When he was looking at one particular boat, he noticed it was the one that Ash was looking for. Crawling out of the backpack, he turned to face in the direction his trainer was in and tapped Ash on the shoulder with a front leg, getting the young man's attention.

"What is it, Trapinch? Can't you see I'm trying to find the S.S. Anne here?" Ash said in a grumpy voice. Trapinch simply glared at him and jerked his head in the opposite direction towards the right ship. Ash turned around and grinned sheepishly when he saw the ship.

"Heh heh, sorry for yelling at you buddy, I get frustrated easily." The little ant simply hurrumphed and stuck his head in the air before returning to Ash's backpack. Ash shook his head, feeling rather embarrassed with himself.

He fought his way through the crowd of people gathering in front of the large cruise liner and managed to finally get on to the ramp that led up to the entrance to the ship. Walking up to the top, he flashed his ticket to the attendant, who took it and stamped it before welcoming Ash to the S.S. Anne and handing the ticket back to him. When he stepped inside, the young trainer gasped and looked around in awe at the sheer size of the ship and party going on. Trapinch poked his head out of the opening of Ash's backpack to see what his trainer was gasping about and did the exact same thing when he saw what was around them.

Ash turned his gaze in the direction where he heard loud shouting coming from. There apparently was a battle going on judging by the ring of people surrounding two others. Feeling excitement bubbling in his chest, Ash adjusted his hat and walked over to the "battle ring." He squeezed his way through the throng of people to get to the front and got there in time to see a kid walk away with an injured Starmie in hand and the older gentleman across the room call out to the crowd.

"Would anyone else like to take on my Raticate?"

Shaking with eagerness and excitement, Ash stepped forward and proclaimed "I will!"

"Well alright then, my boy. Send out your Pokémon and let us commence with a battle," the older guy said, gesturing toward Ash with an outstretched hand. Ash grinned and thought of which of the two Pokémon he should use against a fast and offensive Pokémon like Raticate. Coming to a decision, he grabbed Nidoran's PokeBall and was about to toss it when he was stopped by an indignant cry of "Trap" from behind him.

"Sorry buddy, but I'm going to need some speed for this battle." Ash told his partner. Trapinch grumbled before falling silent. "Don't worry Trapinch, we have the whole trip to find some people you can battle with." He felt Trapinch shift a bit before relaxing at his statement. Smiling, Ash finally threw Nidoran's PokeBall.

"Time to battle, Nidoran!" Nidoran emerged from the ball and landed on the ground in a battle position. Ash's opponent lifted an eyebrow at his choice of Pokémon but decided not to say anything. Ash saw this and smirked. Everyone always seemed to underestimate Nidoran because of his cuteness and size. Big mistake on their part.

"Right then, I'll start. Raticate, use Hyper Fang!" the guy commanded and Raticate leapt into action with a cry of its name. It ran toward Nidoran at a moderate speed, opening its mouth half way to its target. The large rodent teeth started to glow a white color. Ash just stared in shock. _'Wow, this Raticate wasn't trained to take advantage of its speed at all. I feel a bit sorry for it. Oh well.'_

"OK Nidoran, wait until its close enough, then jump and use Double Kick to launch yourself off of the back of Raticate's head," Ash told his Pokémon and Nidoran crouched low, ready to jump. When Raticate got close enough, he leapt into the air and kicked out his back feet. They connected to the back of Raticate's head and he launched high up into the air. The crowd around the two battling trainers started going wild.

Raticate lost its footing and was sent flying a couple of feet before it fell face first into the floor. The guy's eyes widened at the outcome at that confrontation and he urged his Raticate to get up, and it did. It was a bit shaky after that super effective attack but was determined not to give up. A call from its opponent's trainer made the rat's eyes widen in fear.

"Nidoran, swing around and dive bomb Raticate with a Horn Attack!" Nidoran, still suspended in the air, smirked evilly at this and swung around; heading horn first into Raticate.

With a loud cry of "Raticate" from pain, the rat was forced to the ground. Nidoran jumped back and away from it, ready for more.

"Alright Nidoran, finish it off with-" Ash started to say, but was interrupted when his opponent walked on to the field and picked up his Raticate.

"That enough." With that simple statement, he walked away from the "ring" amidst all the boos from the crowd, jeering at him for ending the battle in that fashion. Nidoran bared his teeth and glared hatefully at the guy as he walked away with his foe. Ash, though thoroughly peeved at not being able to complete his win, understood why the guy stopped the battle. He didn't want his Raticate to be hurt anymore. That or he was a sore loser. Ash couldn't tell.

"Nidoran, forget it. We all know you won that battle, so let's go get something to eat now, alright?" Ash stated and gestured for his Pokémon to come to his side. Nidoran glared one more time in the direction the guy left in before walking over to his trainer.

He was _so_ close. So close... The energy was resonating deep within his core, ready to burst forth and expand through his body, changing him forever.

Curse that other trainer. _Curse_ him.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

After having to run away from the angry chefs for eating nearly all the food he and his Pokémon had chowed down on, Ash was now wandering aimlessly through the souvenir stands. He had bought a Dragonite locket that you could put a small picture of a Pokémon or family member in for himself and, rather reluctantly because of its price, an imported Flygon plushie from Hoenn that Trapinch kept begging him for until he caved in.

Just as Ash finished buying some special treats made for Poison types, he heard someone from a few booths down urgently calling him over in a whisper. Turning around, he saw a vendor is front of a tank full of water motioning for him to come over. Shrugging, Ash walked over and looked down into the tank, noticing there was one lone Magikarp with white whiskers in there. _'This guy is wanting to scam me out of my money, I just know it.'_ As the guy opened his mouth to start talking, Ash held up a hand to stop him. _'Well, this will save me the trouble of having to catch one myself at least.'_

"I'll give you 350 for it and nothing more." Ash stated in a stern voice, and the vendor slumped over in defeat; knowing he wouldn't be able to scam this kid out of more money. Rather sluggishly, he pulled out the gold painted PokeBall and recalled the Magikarp in the tank. He handed Ash the PokeBall and the trainer looked at it with a raised eyebrow before handing over the 350 to the guy. He gave the guy a mocking salute before walking away and heading over to an area of the ship that held a swimming pool made just for Water type Pokémon that he had passed by earlier.

Reaching the pool, he returned Trapinch to his PokeBall because he felt panic coming from the little antlion at the sight of the water, and walked over to a shallow end. Ash released his new Pokemon from the gold painted PokeBall into the water and kneeled down beside the edge. The Magikarp looked up at Ash with a blank look on its face as the trainer pulled his PokeDex to scan the Pokemon.

"Hm, so you're a female huh? With the ability Swift Swim..." Ash mumbled to himself as he looked through the information on the Magikarp. _'Okay, moves... Splash, Tackle, Flail, blah blah, blah. Wait, Bounce? What the heck is Bounce?'_ Pushing a button on the device, he brought up the screen with move information. His eyebrows nearly shot to the roof when he saw the information on it.

"Well what do you know, you know a Flying type attack!" Ash exclaimed as he put his PokeDex away. He stood up and motioned for his new Magikarp to go and swim for a bit, which she happily did.

He was only standing there for a few minutes, watching his Pokémon swim around, when the ship gave a lurch to the right and he fell over, scraping his right elbow on the floor. He sat up, rubbing his elbow, and noticed that the other passengers fell over as well. Ash suddenly had a very bad feeling that something was going to happen. He stood up quickly and returned Magikarp to her PokeBall just as the ship lurched again, this time more forcefully. Passengers and their Pokémon started screaming and a male voice came over the intercom system.

"Attention passengers, a severe tropical storm that formed in the Sevii Islands is now crossing our path as we head to Cerulean City. I advise all passengers to return their Pokémon to their PokeBalls and to head to the nearest life boat in case of an emer-" The guy was cut off as the boat jerked again and the power went out. People screamed in terror and started rushing towards any door close enough that would lead them out to the life boats. S.S. Anne employees had to force the mobs of people back so that they could keep order. That was easier said than done.

Ash, surprisingly, was rather calm about the whole ordeal. He didn't know why, but he wasn't complaining about it. It was better than being in a panic after all.

The ship was rocked backwards as another rough wave from the sea hit it from the front. Scores of people fell over, including Ash. He couldn't get back up, however, since he had hit his head on a fallen table and was knocked out like a light.

He went unnoticed by everyone as they all scrambled to escape the doomed ship.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash blinked slowly as he returned to the world of the living. _'Wha... What happened?'_ He sat up slowly and rubbed the side of his head and looked around the pitch black ship. It was devoid of people and Pokémon.

He wouldn't have known it since he was unconscious, but the liner had been hit by several lightning bolts. This had caused the employees to let the passengers past them and into the life boats and they quickly and swiftly got all the passengers off of the S.S. Anne. All but Ash that is.

Panic and fear started to sweep through the young trainer then, and he stood up and quickly ran over to a window and looked out. The ship was still above the sea, but it was sinking, and fast. The storm had passed over by this point so the weather was calm.

Looking around the room, Ash spotted a table that he could use as a boat to get out of here. It was ironic since it was the table that knocked him out in the first place.

Rushing over to it, the young trainer heaved it over to a door that happened to be open and pushed the table through it. Once it was outside, he pushed it over the railing of the boat and dived in after it when he heard the table make a large splash. Ash swam over to it and climbed on top of it before sticking his hands in the water and paddling away from the sinking cruise liner. He paddled until he was satisfied with the distance he had made and stopped to watch the beautiful and once proud ship sink to the bottom of the sea to rest in a watery grave for eternity.

After twenty minutes had passed, the ship finally rose into the air, erect and straight as a pole, before sinking down into the dark depths of the water. Ash felt saddened at this whole thing. It was just another Titanic except with a storm and the fact that everyone made it out alive. This was another famous ship to join all the others in the watery grave of the sea.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Three days had passed and Ash was still on his makeshift boat, floating along the waters that surrounded Kanto. He was laying down on his front with his head turned to the side. His chocolate brown eyes held a glazed looked from a lack of food, water, and sleep.

_'I'm... I'm not going to make it...'_ Ash thought in resignation. _'I have to make sure my Pokémon make it at least...'_ Reaching down with an extremely shaky hand, he pulled off a random ball and brought it up close to his face. It was Magikarp's. Enlarging it, he pointed it away from him and released his Pokémon into the water. Magikarp emerged and looked around in confusion at her current location before her eyes found her trainer. Concern over his condition flooded her system.

"Kaaarp?" she called out to him in question. Ash gave a weak smile.

"You're free now Magikarp. Free to live. Me? I'm-" Ash coughed, making his dry, itchy throat even worse. He continued in a raspy voice. "I'm not gonna make it girl." He slowly reached down to his belt and plucked the other two PokeBalls from his belt and sat them on the table, in front of Magikarp. "Get these two to land for me, will you?" He coughed some more before taking a raspy inhale of breath and falling unconscious. The lack of nutrients, water, and sleep finally catching up to him.

Magikarp's eyes misted over with tears and she swam around the table in a frenzy as she tried to figure out how to help her trainer. She stopped when she figured out how, but could she do it on a whim like this? She _had_ to try, her trainer needed her!

Closing her eyes, she focused on the energy within herself, trying to force it to the surface. After a few failed tries, she nearly gave up, but when she saw Ash's condition once more, her resolve returned and she tried harder this time around. Finally, after more failed attempts, she could feel the energy pool in her and start spreading through her entire body. The energy increased tenfold and she could feel her body shifting and changing shape.

Magikarp's body was engulfed in a blinding white light and her small body elongated and got larger. A few seconds later, and in Magikarp's place, there was a large, blue sea serpent like Pokémon that roared to the heavens in success. Gyarados. Magikarp had finally evolved into her fierce and final form. All because of her loyalty that she had for her trainer.

Turning her head toward Ash, she reached down and picked up the PokeBalls on the table and put them under her tongue before gently picking up Ash in her powerful jaws. She turned and faced south, her instincts telling her that that was where the nearest land was, and started swimming at top speed to get there as fast as she could.

**End Chapter 5**

**A/N:** I was originally going to have his 4th Pokémon in this chapter as well, but I decided to save it for next chapter since this one was getting too long. And yes, I kept the fact that Magikarp evolved quickly from the Anime for a reason, that being which you just read.

Magikarp, by their very nature (in my story) are very loyal Pokémon to their trainers. Just so you know.

The old title for this chapter will instead be used for next chapter: Dousing the Flames. Stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6: Dousing the Flames!

**A/N:** I apologize for my lack of updates. My Muse left me, so I decided to take a break to help get it back. Just for having to wait, this chapter will be longer than normal, containing a few events rather than just the one I was normally planning for this chapter. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and I cut out the training sessions in future chapters from now on, to help move the plot along. You'll see the evidence of their training in battles. ;)

New poll posted on my profile! IN NEED OF A BOOK COVER. If interested, PM me! The one I have is temporary and I would like to replace it ASAP!

Oh and I do NOT appreciate being cussed at to update my stories. It's rude and immature and it pisses me off. All you have to say is that you hope I update soon or whatever. *Glares at the person who did this* I won't be so lenient next time and will remove your comment. Just be lucky you are a guest, otherwise I would report you.

**Chapter 6: Dousing the Flames!**

The first thing Ash saw when he opened his eyes was white. Everything around him was white; the floors, the walls, the ceiling, and even the odd, stiff, cloud he was laying on. '_Wait... Cloud?' _Feeling around with his hands, Ash discovered it wasn't a cloud he was laying on, it was a bed. '_Am I dead?'_ Putting a hand up to his face, the young trainer's hand came in contact with a plastic device covering his nose and mouth. '_Okay, so I'm not dead if I have a breathing mask over my face. That can only mean that I am in a hospital... But how did I get here in the first place?'_ Putting his hands down on either side of him, Ash tried to sit up in the bed, but fell back down on to the pillow behind him with a groan.

"I wouldn't try that again for a while, Mr. Ketchum. It'll be a few days before you regain your strength."

Turning his head towards the voice that addressed him, he saw a rather young doctor with a clipboard in his hand walk in to the room. He was rather tall with a slim build, sandy-brown hair that seemed to go everywhere, and was wearing a pair of black rectangular glasses. Ash couldn't tell what color his eyes were exactly, but they looked to be hazel from his point of view.

The doctor gave him a friendly smile when he saw the young man look at him, but then he turned serious. "You're quite lucky to be alive right now you know. Had you arrived any later, you would not have survived." Seeing the questioning look on Ash's face, the doctor elaborated. "You were severely dehydrated, but only mildly malnourished. Luckily we were able to get you on an IV in time." Walking over to the young trainer, he pulled off the breathing mask. He seemed to be breathing well on his own so the doctor saw no point in keeping it on.

Now that the doctor was closer, Ash could see that the doctor's eyes were a light green color. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. Opening his mouth, he spoke in a croaky voice, "How did I get here?"

The doctor, who had yet to mention his name, chuckled at the question. "Well, the story is a bit funny actually. About a week ago, the citizens of Cerulean were sent into a panic when a Gyarados came bursting out of the water and onto the harbor. No one noticed you in its mouth at the time as everyone in the vicinity started to scatter. From what I assume, it went through the city to get to the Pokémon Center considering that would be the only medical facility a Pokémon would really know of. Of course I do know what happened from there. Nurse Joy reported that it crashed through the automatic doors and laid you down gently on the counter. She was going to complain until she saw your condition and immediately took you to a room and started an IV. It's a good thing she did too, otherwise you wouldn't have made it. Afterward, she called us to come and get you, and well, here you are."

After he told the story, the doctor went about checking on Ash's vitals, letting the boy absorb what he heard, but the only thing that was on Ash's mind was that a _Gyarados_ had saved him. From what he learned, wild Gyarados had vicious tempers on them and would never help a human. The more likely scenario would be being eaten alive by one. '_Why? Why would a Gyarados help me? Unless... No, she wouldn't have? But... It's the only explanation. I heard Magikarp were loyal to their trainers, but that loyal?'_ As Ash was lost in thought, the doctor stood up after finishing getting the trainer's vitals and started scribbling on his clipboard.

"Well," Ash nearly jumped out of his skin when the doctor spoke; so lost in thought that he forgot the guy was there, "you are recovering quite well. I'd say you will be free of this place in about three to four days. You'll have to take it easy for a few days after you are out of here though." Ash just nodded, relieved he wouldn't have to stay here much longer. He hated hospitals. Even Pokémon Centers gave him the heebee jeebees at times. Though the thought of having to relax after he got out of there didn't appeal much. _'Oh well, I suppose I could just train my Pokémon during that time. Wait a minute...'_

"Doctor, where are my Pokémon?" Ash croaked out. The doctor went over to a sink and filled a cup of water, handing it to the young trainer. Ash quickly gulped it down, feeling relief as the cold water soothed his dry throat, and turned an expectant gaze at the man. The doctor readjusted his glasses and sat down in the chair next to Ash's bed.

"They're quite safe, don't worry. Nurse Joy is currently taking care of them for you while you are in here. You'll be able to pick them up once you are released." He suddenly chuckled as he remembered something. "Your Gyarados was quite insistent on coming here with you. So insistent that it nearly tipped over the ambulance that was bringing you here. Scared the living daylights out of the poor EMT guys. Luckily Nurse Joy managed to return it to its PokeBall before it caused any damage."

"What about my other two Pokémon?" the young trainer asked. The doctor told him they were being taken care of as well. Gyarados had spit out the PokeBalls while she was being looked at by Nurse Joy.

The doctor stood up and told Ash to get some rest. He patted him on the knee and left.

Suddenly feeling tired, Ash closed his eyes and drifted off.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Four days later and Ash was discharged from the hospital with strict orders to take it easy. Though he didn't like it, he promised Doctor Witzofang (whose name he found out a couple of days ago). He always keeps his promises after all.

Now that he was free from his white, sterile prison, Ash's first order of business was to pick up his Pokémon. Following the signs along the roads, he found the Pokémon Center in a relatively short amount of time.

Entering through the automatic doors, Ash walked up to the counter and saw Nurse Joy typing away at a computer.

Nurse Joy looked up from her screen when the sounds of footsteps came closer, and saw the young boy she had saved a few days ago. She smiled and closed out what she was doing on the computer after saving it and stood up to address Ash.

"Well, it's good to see you up and about young man! I'm assuming you are here to pick up your Pokémon?" Ash nodded and Joy told him she would be back in a minute. She came back and handed the three balls to the raven-haired trainer. He thanked her profusely for both taking care of his Pokémon and for saving his life. She waved away the thanks saying she was just doing her job.

Sometime later, Ash had managed to find his way out of the city and into a nearby wooded area. As he was walking around looking for some sort of body of water, he held the "golden" PokeBall in his hand, staring at it with his eyebrows knit together contemplatively. _'How can a Pokémon force itself to evolve? Even for its trainer?'_ was the only thought in the young trainer's mind at the moment as he walked around. He of course had no clue as to how loyal Magikarp truly were to their trainers.

After wandering around for about thirty minutes, Ash finally came upon a shallow river. Holding the "golden" PokeBall in a shaking hand, he released the Pokémon from its confinement and into the water. The towering blue and tan form of Ash's Gyarados emerged, roaring. Ash stumbled backwards and fell flat on his butt out of fear from the large beast. Sure, he had wanted one, but being this close to such a powerful Pokémon was frightening. Especially when said Pokémon was looking at him with a strange glint in her eyes and making a strange churring sound.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Gyarados felt herself being released from her PokeBall and into some shallow water. Roaring in happiness at being free from her round, red, and white prison that was painted gold, she turned her head to look at the human that freed her and started making the churring noise of happiness and relief that her species is rarely ever heard making. Her human was alive and well! Ignoring his frightened look, she bent her head down, after closing her mouth, and rubbed against Ash gently, all the while continuing to make her churring noise.

Ash had no idea what was going on. One minute he was in front of a large, towering, and roaring beast, and the next he was being loved upon by said creature. To say he was confused was an understatement. Out of sheer instinct, he raised a gloved hand and stroked the happy Pokémon behind her pointed head crest, making her elicit louder churrs from deep within her throat.

The trainer noticed that the blue scales on Gyarados were thick and felt harder than steel, though they were immensely smooth feeling under his fingertips. _'Just like a fish.'_ He was careful to avoid the edges and tips of the scales though, he didn't want to risk nearly slicing his fingers off and having to go back to the hospital. He shuddered at the thought of going back to that white sterile building of doom.

Suddenly, the shock wore off and Ash attempted to stand back up on shaky legs. The fear and shock he had of seeing a dangerous Pokémon in front of him made him feel weak and he had to hold on to Gyarados' head for support.

Feeling he could stand on his own finally, he slowly stepped back from the giant, blue serpent and looked up at her as she returned to an upright position, tilting her head in curiosity. All feeling left Ash as he continued to stare at his Pokémon. He finally realized how close to death he had been out there on the sea. How, out of pure desperation and concern for her trainer, his Magikarp had forced her own evolution without any concern for herself. Just to save _him_, a trainer who had less than a day to get to know her and to bond. A trainer who had been absolutely _stupid_ enough to get knocked out just as the ship started sinking. A trainer, who was nothing but a lucky rookie. A trainer... He was pulled from his self-reproaching thoughts as a concerned sound rumbled from Gyarados.

Focusing his eyes and thoughts back in to the real world, all thought left him as he ran forward into the stream, ignoring how wet the bottom of his jeans were getting, and flung his arms as far as they would go around the mighty creature and started crying softy. Gyarados flinched back in pure surprise from this action, but Ash just ignored it and hung on tighter while he released his emotions in the only way he knew how to at his age. He mumbled "thank you" under his breath multiple times.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Gyarados was highly concerned by how her trainer was acting and had let off a concerned sound. She had felt relieved when she noticed him return to reality, but that relief turned to shock as he lunged at her and wrapped his arms around her body and started crying. She had flinched back in surprise as well, but it didn't dislodge her trainer as he had continued to hang on and free his emotions.

Realizing he wasn't going to let go any time soon, Gyarados wrapped her tail around the both of them and rumbled so low in her throat that it vibrated throughout her entire body. It was her attempt to comfort the upset trainer.

Fifteen minutes later, Ash had finally calmed down enough to think rationally and let go of Gyarados. He grimaced when he saw and felt the bottom of his jean legs soaked. Petting Gyarados a few more times, he returned her to her PokeBall, content in the feeling that they had already formed a strong bond that would last until the end of their days.

Walking back on to the bank of the stream, he shook off the excess water from his legs and put his backpack down on the ground, pulling out a clean pair of jeans and a bottle of aspirin. He had a headache after all that crying he did. Quickly changing, he took out a bottle of water and quickly downed the two aspirin in his hands. Ash hated taking pills, and aspirins were no exception, though he knew they helped immensely so he forced himself to take them. He was glad his mom had packed them.

After a few minutes of sitting and waiting, the headache wore off and Ash decided to look around for a good training spot for his Pokémon. Wandering around for half an hour, he eventually found a moderately sized area with a few scattering of trees and a small pond. Smiling in glee, he walked over to a nearby stump and dumped his backpack on to it. He reached down to his belt and pulled off all three PokeBalls and held them up to his face. _'Time for more training, my friends.'_

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash stood in front of the circular, colorful building that was the Cerulean Gym. He winced a bit at the bright colors mixed in with the sheer, blinding, white of the Dewgong that was on the front of the roof. The sun was creating a glare off of it and he quickly ran inside to prevent himself from going blind.

The young trainer had decided to keep Trapinch in his PokeBall for this battle since it was a Water type gym. With any luck, he wouldn't need him, but for the last two and a half weeks, he had him work on Giga Drain just in case. He surprisingly learned it rather fast, so then continued on learning Earth Power to try and perfect it. The little ant lion had managed to create a larger split in the Earth, but it still wasn't what the attack was capable of. Still, Ash had hope Trapinch would perfect the attack in due time.

He had Nidoran practice Shock Wave day in and day out since he was going to be the star player once again in the next gym battle. By the time Nidoran had perfected it, he was totally worn out and Ash had decided to let him rest for the remaining training days, though he still had him running to keep up his strength and dodging abilities, though Ash never pushed him too much with this.

As for Gyarados, Ash had to get her caught up with Trapinch and Nidoran in terms of speed and dodging, so he asked the local wild Pokémon around the area to attack her with their fullest power. To say the poor thing was exhausted and in pain at the end of each day was an understatement. Ash, the ever caring trainer that he was, healed her completely at the end of each day. He also had her learn Thunderbolt, which she surprisingly picked up just as quickly as Trapinch did with Giga Drain.

By the end of the training session, all three Pokémon begged Ash for a vacation. He promised they could _all_ have one after their latest gym battle.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Walking into the gym, he came across an empty reception area and groaned in frustration. Now really ticked off, he stalked past the desk and headed down a hall to where he could hear cheers and whistles. Curious and excited, he was hoping to catch a glimpse of a Pokémon battle going on. He was sorely disappointed when all he saw going on in the battle arena was a water show. _'A water show? A freaking water show? This is a gym, not a place for water ballets!'_ Now Ash was really ticked off, and he walked around until he found the backstage area and waited. He was going to give these gym leaders a thing or two. _'They better agree to battle me, or Mew help me, I _will_ report them to the Pokémon League for this!' _

After waiting for what seemed like forever, the door finally opened and three women walked in, drying off with towels and chatting to each other in a _very_ annoying fashion.

"Like, that was our best show ever!"

"Like totally!"

All three started giggling like schools girls and Ash's right eye twitched in sheer annoyance. If they didn't shut up soon, he was going to send out Gyarados and have her rip their faces off. Standing up from the bench he was sitting on, he forced himself to calm down. The three girls had obviously not noticed the young boy in the room yet. Just for payback, he decided to scare them out of their wits. He brought a fist up to his mouth and cleared his throat, loudly. The looks on their faces and the screams they emitted would forever be in his memory when they turned around to look at the source of the noise. _'Oh I am an evil one today!'_

The blonde one suddenly pulled a knife out of nowhere and pointed it at Ash. "Like, back off you freak!" she shouted at him. Ash put his hands up and backed up into a locker. He was now terrified for his life. He had forgotten the most basic rule of battle that even applies to other people - never underestimate your opponent.

"Easy, I'm not here to hurt you! I just want a Pokémon battle for the Cascade Badge," Ash explained in a desperate voice. The blonde girl suddenly lowered the knife and put it away while a different girl, one with blue hair he noted, spoke.

"We don't, like, feel like battling anymore," she told Ash. The raven-haired trainer just stood, looking at them with his mouth agape.

"What? Why?" he nearly shouted. This time the girl with pink hair spoke.

"Like, after the last three trainers that came here from like, this nowhere place called Pallet," Ash felt like face palming at this, "defeated us one after another, we like, totally gave up battling at that point," she explained. Ash felt like screaming in frustration. What kind of gym leaders were these women anyway?

"You can't just give up battling because of a few losses! That is _not_ how a gym leader is supposed to act at all!" Ash complained while pointing at them. All three girls looked at each other as if communicating silently. Finally, the blonde one spoke up again. "I know what you want, follow us." _'Finally!'_ The young trainer thought as he followed all three girls out into the stadium area. The gym arena had been returned to normal after the show he noticed.

Stopping by the edge of the pool, Ash was confused. Why weren't they walking to their side of the field? He got his answer a few seconds later. The blue haired girl clapped her hands together two times and called out "Seel". Ash blinked as the white seal Pokémon came out of the water. Was he supposed to fight this Pokémon? It hardly looked like it would be able to withstand a strong Tackle attack. But no, that isn't what was going to happen. He would have _preferred_ to battle this little Pokémon over what happened next.

The blonde girl reached down when the Seel opened its mouth and plucked up the item that was on its tongue and held it out toward Ash. He nearly fell back in shock at having the Cascade Badge thrust into his face so suddenly.

"Here, this is what you wanted, right? Like, just take it," the blonde one told him. Ash stared at the badge blankly for a few seconds before stepping backwards away from the offending piece of metal. He crossed his arms and glared at the three sisters, not that he knew they were sisters.

"No thank you, I prefer _earning_ my badges. I don't train my Pokémon hard just for hand outs," Ash said coldly. "Not only is it an insult to me, but it's an insult to my Pokémon as well!" Ash continued. All three of the girls looked shocked at his outburst and refusal to take a free badge. As he started out towards the exit of the arena, he turned around and glared hard at them.

"You _will_ be hearing from the Pokémon League about this!" With that, he turned back around and was just about to leave when a voice called out, this one different from the other three he had to listen to. It was younger sounding, but he knew it would have grated on his nerves long enough if he had to listen to it constantly. That was a change though, at least.

"Hold it right there mister!" The voice shouted out. Ash stopped in his tracks and turned around to find the owner of the offending voice. He raised one eyebrow when he noticed a new girl now in the room, obviously much younger than the other three, but not much older than him. Maybe by about two or three years he had to guess. Ash nearly snorted in laughter at her outfit and hairstyle, but he had a feeling this girl had a temper on her to rival his mother's when he had broken a rule, so he refrained from doing so out loud. He shuddered when he thought about it. _'I'm definitely going to try avoid that from other females thank you.'_

"I'm not going to have this gym's reputation ruined because of my sisters! If you want a battle, you've got a battle!" the young redhead challenged. _'So they're sisters huh. They look nothing alike, but this girl has fighting spirit at least!'_

"Um, who are you exactly?" Ash asked. He was very curious as none of them had introduced themselves yet.

"I'm Misty, the fourth Sensational Sister and gym leader of the Cerulean City Gym!" Misty proclaimed as she pointed at herself. She was interrupted by a snort from behind her.

"There are only _three_ Sensational Sisters and one runt," the blonde said snidely. Misty got ticked and turned around, ready for a fight. Ash, getting sick and tired of all of this crap and just wanting to battle shouted at them to stop. All four sisters shut up and turned around to stare at him, obviously having forgotten about him.

"Look, can we just battle already?" Ash asked, rather rudely. He was tired, he had a headache, and he wanted this whole charade to end so he could get his badge and go take a nap at the Pokémon Center.

Misty just huffed and said to take his spot on the field while she walked over to the gym leader's platform. Walking over to the challenger's area, he fingered Nidoran's ball, getting it ready to throw it out.

"This will be a two on two battle, no time limit, with the challenger allowed to make substitutes. Deal?" Misty told him from across the pool. _'I won't need substitutes...'_ but out loud he said "deal."

"I'll go first. Misty calls Staryu!" From her PokeBall came the tan starfish Pokémon with a cry of "ha". Ash looked at it with a calculating gaze. _'Hmmm, she's obviously trained her Pokemon, but this Staryu doesn't know any of the stronger attacks it can learn. What a pity, I wanted a challenge.'_

"Nidoran, time to battle!" Ash called out and Nidoran came out in a burst of energy and landed on one of the platforms in the pool. He gave no battle cry this time, instead he stared down his opponent with a calculating look, like his trainer did. The tough training was changing him and he liked it. It meant he was close to evolving and Nidoran couldn't wait.

Scratching the platform like a Tauros about to charge, he awaited his orders. He didn't have to wait long as Misty ordered an attack first.

"Staryu, Tackle attack!"

"Take it Nidoran and push back. Make sure it's touching you at all times," Ash told Nidoran, and the Poison Pin Pokémon nodded at the order. He knew what his trainer was planning for this piece of seafood. When the Tackle landed, it hurt, but not nearly as much as the Tackles from Gyarados. Nidoran pushed against the Staryu for as long as he could when he finally felt his ability activate. He gave the opposing Staryu an evil smirk as it got poisoned easily and quickly. Staryu immediately backed off and fell off the platform.

"Staryu! What the heck happened?" Misty cried out when she saw her Pokémon topple over into the water, twitching in pain and crying out a bit.

Ash laughed inside his head. "My Nidoran just poisoned your Staryu, Misty. Finish it Nidoran, use Shock Wave!" Misty's eyes widened in fear. She had no idea what the attack was, but she could only guess it was an Electric one judging by the name. She had to do something and fast!

"Staryu, get out of the water and on to a platform!" Misty called out in desperation. Staryu obeyed and came flying out of the water, still twitching and crying out in pain as it landed on a platform on her side of the field.

_'Wow, it doesn't even know Recover. I feel sorry for the thing really.'_ "It's no use Misty, nothing can dodge this attack." Ash was right of course, because as Nidoran released the Shock Wave, the attack followed Staryu around the battle arena for several seconds before it finally hit home, frying the poor starfish. It fell down on a platform completely knocked out with smoke rising from its body. _'At least it isn't in pain right now this way.'_ Ash looked at Nidoran and noticed him panting. Holding up that Shock Wave for that long amount of time had exhausted him. _'I would recall him, but I know he'd want to keep battling. Dang it, he won't last long in the second battle, but there is nothing for it I guess.'_

Ash looked over at Misty and noticed her looking at her PokeBall in sadness before a determined look crossed her face.

"I _will_ beat you... you..." she stumbled, realizing she never asked the trainer's name.

"Ash," he supplied.

"Right, I _will_ beat you Ash! Now, Misty calls Starmie!" From her side came the evolution of Staryu with a cry of "hya" this time. Ash studied it and noticed it was _far_ stronger than her Staryu, but it didn't exude the feeling of a Psychic Pokémon like it should have. _'It doesn't know any Psychic attacks? This is pathetic!'_ Before he got to utter a command, Misty had ordered a Water Gun and Nidoran was hit dead center. He hit the wall behind Ash and fell to the ground unconscious. The young trainer winced and growled then returned Nidoran to his PokeBall.

"You did a good job buddy, and you will be avenged for that quick loss," Ash whispered to Nidoran's PokeBall before pulling out the fake golden one of Gyarados' and holding it up.

"Ha, I knew it, that first battle was just beginner's luck!" Misty bragged while looking smug. Ash rolled his eyes at her. _'What is with these cocky gym leaders?'_

"You knocked out my Nidoran, Misty, now I have to call out the big guns. Gyarados, it's your turn to battle!" Ash called out while throwing the PokeBall. Gyarados came out and landed in the water, letting out a terrifying battle roar that caused all four sisters to scream and back as far away from her as they could. Misty's Starmie backed up as far as it could go without actually leaving the pool, clearly intimidated by the large blue beast. _'Guess her ability works on Pokemon _and_ humans!'_ Suddenly, he heard the terrified voice of Misty.

"I... I... I forfeit!" she yelled out in fear.

"What?" Ash exclaimed, confused and ticked off. Why would she forfeit? Was she that afraid of his Gyarados? Ash looked over at at his large, blue serpent, and noticed that she, too, was confused and mad at not being able to battle. Ash snorted to himself. _'Some gym leader.'_

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Sometime later the next day, Ash walked down the path that would lead him to an underground path to Celadon City, feeling rather lazy and still ticked off at winning because of a forfeit. Trapinch, who was now riding on Ash's shoulder, was feeling the irritation his trainer was, though he had no reason to. He ignored it though, he was just happy to have his human friend alive and well. He was still not over almost losing his trainer and wouldn't be for a while.

Ash sighed and looked at the three badges he currently had on the inside of his jacket and shook his head.

"It would have been our first overpowered win, but she had to go and forfeit! Ugh... Oh well, let's focus on the future." He was mostly talking to himself, but Trapinch nodded anyway to agree with him.

Ash looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling a change in the air. He noticed it was beginning to get overcast.

"Great, just great, it's going to rain. On top of this, I suddenly remembered I forgot to call Professor Oak. Oh well, I'll call him when I get to Celadon," Ash sighed and recalled Trapinch, not wanting him to get hurt from the rain and continued walking down the path until he heard a _very_ weak and _very_ quiet cry of a Pokémon.

"Chaaaarrrrrr..."

**End of Chapter 6**

**A/N:** There's chapter 6! I am SO sorry for this late update, but Minecraft took over my life and I finally decided to take a break from it to work on this story. Hm hm, Ash sure goes through a lot of changing emotions doesn't he? Most of it is because he can't stand irritating people, in my story at least. His sudden knowledge comes from his studying for those 2 and a half weeks of training his Pokémon. He realized that his life could end at any moment, and he wants to accomplish a lot before that happens. His near death experience matured him, by a lot. His kid personality will come out once in a while though, especially next chapter when they take a vacation in Celadon City. Speaking of which, evolutions happen next chapter, yaaaaaay!

Misty's forfeit is due to her major fear of Gyarados'. If you remember that from the Anime, which I did.

Oh, and here's some deleted information I removed from the story:

"Magikarp, as a species, know how most humans think of them. Usually thought of as only a food source, every Magikarp on the planet made a pledge when humans came about, to be loyal to a tee to any human with enough dedication and compassion to train one of their kind. There are exceptions to that rule though. Most wild Gyarados' are the result of hatred and anger for their trainer if they were abused because they could not evolve fast enough for them. Pain and anger releases the floodgate on their evolution energy, causing them to evolve prematurely and keeping that anger towards all humans. In their pure rage after evolving, most will attack their trainer, severely injuring them. In rare cases, even killing them. Mostly though, Magikarps are trained by people that are dedicated to taking the time to train one.

A Gyarados' attitude and personality, unlike many other Pokémon, is determined by what they experience as a Magikarp. Magikarp do not truly have an individual personality, so it is crucial for them to experience life by being trained before they can evolve. That is why you rarely ever see a wild Magikarp evolve on its own. There has been documented evidence of this happening in the past, but the Gyarados' out of these wild evolutions were reported to be mentally and emotionally handicapped to the point of never being able to function on their own in the wild. They were then captured and transported to a facility that had taken care of them until they passed away from old age.

Since the last reported case of that type of incident occurring, there has been no Gyarados reported in current time to be in that predicament."


	7. Chapter 7: Sleepless in Celadon!

**A/N:** The rating of the story will go up with this chapter and you'll see why. I just want to be on the safe side. This chapter has violence. A future chapter involving Lavender Town and Team Rocket (not the three idiots) will also need cause for the rating to go up, so doing it now is in good interest as far as I am concerned.

I have someone working on a new cover for the story and I can't wait to see how it turns out! I had to ask a friend since no one on here seemed interested judging by the lack of messages on it. Speaking of which, I wish you people would go and turn on your PMs in your settings. I can't reply to reviews that way you know, and it's a shame since I like to reply to reviews.

The poll is still going strong with the Orange Islands still at number one with Hoenn as a close second. I will of course be keeping it up for some time, at least until the end of the story. I am so hoping Hoenn will win, not really looking forward to writing about the Orange League competition, I don't remember a whole lot about it, which means I'll have to do some research if it does win. Though, if the Orange Islands do win, I have a hilarious scene in mind for the final battle. The Orange Island arc will be a lot shorter than a story with a full region obviously, but I want to make my fans happy after all. This poll will decide the final order of regions Ash will visit, so be sure to vote!

I'll answer some reviews now. One, I obviously skipped Mt. Moon. The reason? The whole episode was just a filler to show off the mountain. I cut out useless episodes in the story if they don't pertain to the plot in any way, shape, or form. He will be going there to train for the Pokémon League, but that is it.

Two, I've had numerous reviews complaining about his lack of Pokémon and I am rather sick of reading about it, so I will say this once and only once - he believes in quality over quantity. The less Pokémon he has right now equals more attention given to them to make them stronger, understand? Oh and someone asked me about his team. I do have his team planned out along with a couple of extras I have in mind. So you don't have to ask about it anymore.

Someone made a good point with the gym leaders. I made the first three easy on purpose, the rest will be difficult, very difficult. Starting with this chapter in fact.

Shiny Pokémon... Guys, he won't be getting any shiny Pokémon, alright? I'm debating on his legendary being shiny, but that's because its shiny form is more epic than its normal one, but I haven't decided.

OK, now on to the story! In this chapter Ash will experience his first ever loss, how will he take it?

**Chapter 7: Sleepless in Celadon!**

The sound made Ash stop cold in his tracks and turn around to look for the source of it. When he spotted it, what he saw made his blood boil in anger. There, sitting on a tree stump a couple of yards away was a Charmander, but this Charmander was obviously injured, very injured. He crept closer to it and flinched back in horror at its condition. Cuts, deep bruises, and gashes littered its body. One of the worst of the gashes ran from the top of its head down to its left leg. Ash's heart dropped when he realized this Pokémon would never have use of its left eye ever again, but he nearly cried when he saw how low the flame on its tail was. It was extremely close to death, and the labored breathing of the Pokémon proved this even more.

A dark and very angry look crossed over Ash's face. This was no mere fight that the Charmander went through, no, this was a trainer's fault. Charmanders lived up in the mountains or near volcanic regions, not forest areas, so he _knew_ this was the fault of a trainer. An abusive one. One that was a hundred times worse than Trapinch's previous trainer. He swore revenge on this Charmander's "trainer" when he found out who it was.

Ash was unaware of Trapinch's PokeBall shaking as he responded to his trainer's emotions.

Pulling out a blanket, he carefully wrapped up the Charmander, shushing it like a mother would to her upset child when it cried out softly in pain. Ash scowled deeply when he carefully picked it up. The poor thing was extremely thin and bony. Oh, that trainer would burn in the depths of Hell for this, Ash swore. Even more so if the Charmander succumbed to its injuries.

When thunder rumbled above him, the young trainer nearly screamed in frustration. The storm was coming and he needed some sort of shelter or Charmander was going to die even sooner if he didn't start healing it. Looking through the trees, he spotted a rock formation and hurried towards it. When he walked up to it, he was happy to note that it was an overhang, sort of like an entrance to a cave, and it was large enough to hold at least three people.

Quickly walking under it, Ash sat down just as the downpour began. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned his attention back to the severly injured Charmander. Laying it down on the ground gently on its right side, the trainer carefully unwrapped the Pokémon from its blanket cocoon. It protested weakly as the warmth was taken away from its body, but Ash ignored it. The little lizard needed to be healed and it couldn't be helped if it was all swathed up in a blanket.

Opening up the area of his backpack that held healing items, he dumped them out carelessly. He had no time to be meticulous about things while a Pokemon's life was in his hands. Shifting through the items on the ground, he picked out a Full Restore and a Revive he had bought in case of an emergency. Gently forcing Charmander's mouth open, he placed the medicine on his tongue, then closed the little lizard's mouth again to let the medicine dissolve. It made a face at the taste, but allowed the Revive to work without any fight. Ash next sprayed the Full Restore over Charmander's body, making it seize up at the immense pain coursing through its little orange body.

Ash watched with a critical eye as the wounds and bruises slowly started healing and disappearing, though the biggest gash only closed and left a huge, visible scar on its left side. The young trainer sighed at that, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He looked at Charmander's flame and noticed that it had grown a bit in size. Smiling in joy that he had helped to avert the Pokemon's death for now, he sprayed a Super Potion on Charmander just to make sure he had gotten all the wounds healed.

His next order of business was to clean Charmander up. The Pokémon was covered in dirt and blood that he had just realized was there. Sliding the blanket up from under the orange lizard, Ash held it up in front of him and grimaced in disgust. It was covered in dirt and blood. _'I won't be using this anymore. Guess I'll just have to buy a new one when I get to Celadon City.'_ Balling it up in his hands, he threw it away and pulled out a wash cloth his mom had packed for him. He knew the rain water was going to be cold for the Charmander, but he had no other option. Ash didn't know how to cook, so he lived off the land if he was in the wild, and thus had no cooking supplies. No cooking supplies equals no pan in which to heat water.

Sticking his hand with the cloth out from under the overhang, the young trainer got the wash cloth soaked and started on cleaning up the Charmander. It shivered at the cold water, but Ash told it he had nothing else to clean it with and just to try and bear through it. Once he had sufficiently cleaned up the Pokémon, Ash wrung out the cloth in the rain and set it aside to dry. Pulling out, ironically, a Charmander themed towel, he wrapped the Pokémon up in it and held against his chest to help it warm up its body and to give some comfort. _'I hope the storm ends soon, I need to get Charmander to a Pokémon Center!'_

It was another thirty minutes or so before the storm and rain finally ended. Quickly putting everything away, Ash picked up Charmander and exited the forest with due haste. Once he got to the path he was on earlier, he dashed down it, making sure to be careful as he didn't want to jar the Pokémon currently asleep in his arms. He hoped beyond hope there was a Pokémon Center somewhere down the road. Ash didn't want to have to run clear back to Cerulean City.

As he looked up into the sky, he noticed the rain had left behind a rainbow. Ash smiled a bit at it, it had been a while since he had seen a rainbow that beautiful. A cry broke through his musings and he noticed a large, rainbow-colored bird soaring overhead. It flew right through the rainbow and disappeared among the clouds. Ash was in awe at what he saw, but focused back on his running when he nearly tripped and fell over a stone on the path. _'I hope that beautiful bird was a sign of good hope!'_

It must of been, for when he got further down the path, the sight of a Pokémon Center entered his field of vision.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Rushing through the automatic doors, Ash ignored the group of laughing teenagers in a waiting pit, and ran up to the counter and stopped in front of it, panting hard and trying to catch his breath. Gently putting the Charmander on the counter, he bent over and took in large gulps of air.

"Nurse Joy... Please... Help it..." Ash said between gulps of air. Nurse Joy unraveled the towel and gasped. Without a word, she picked up Charmander and took it to the back to heal it further.

Finally getting his breath under control, the young trainer walked over to the other waiting pit opposite the rowdy teenagers. Sitting down on a bench, he pulled out his PokeDex, pretending to be engrossed in it. Instead, he was listening carefully to the conversation the group of teens were having. Ash was hoping to catch a clue as to who might be responsible for nearly killing that Charmander. He wasn't sorry he eavesdropped either.

"So Damian, what did you do with that Charmander?" One of the guys asked.

"I left it on that stump on down the road, useless thing," the one teen said, obviously Damian. Ash turned his eyes to look at the one that spoke and glared in pure hatred. He took in the blue hair and the goggles that adorned his head. The pink shirt was what caught his attention the most though as it stood out quite a bit. This guy would pay, oh would he pay!

"Heh heh, yeah. That dumb thing couldn't even put up a battle against your Scyther!" A rather gruff sounding guy exclaimed. All of them starting laughing again, obviously remembering the beating Damian's Scyther gave the Charmander. When he heard them laughing at a Pokémon's expense like that, Ash nearly wanted to jump up right there and beat the crap out of these guys, but he knew he would be outnumbered and Gyarados would destroy the building if he let her out to take care of these Pokemon abusers. He would bide his time and wait on this Damian guy to go somewhere on his own.

Ash was in luck though, Damian stood up a few minutes later and told the others in the group something that the young trainer didn't catch and left the Pokémon Center. Giving an evil-looking toothy smirk, Ash followed right behind him. The other males in the room didn't even notice.

Following the pink shirt wearing Pokémon abuser, Ash sized him up. Damian wasn't by any means muscular, but he was taller and older and would obviously be stronger than him. He knew how to rectify that situation though.

Running up behind the jerk as silently as he could, he swung his right leg in the air and kicked him; right in the family jewels. It was safe to say that Damian fell to his knees screaming like a little girl and clutching himself in sheer pain.

Walking around to the front of the teen, Ash put his right hand into tightly clenched fist and swung his arm upwards into an uppercut, sending Damian flying backwards on to the ground, moaning in pain. When Ash walked up to the fallen teen and noticed that his nose had started bleeding. _'Hm, so that's what that crunching noise was.'_ Shaking his hand out, the young trainer leaned over to get into Damian's face.

"So, you think it's funny to beat the living crap out of a helpless creature that had no chance of defending itself? You think it's hilarious to leave a Pokémon for dead? Well I have news for you, _pal_, it's not funny. A living being is now in critical condition and it's _all your fault_!" With that shout, Ash kneeled over Damian and started wailing on him, each hit giving him a sense of satisfaction.

After a few minutes, Ash finally got the rage out of his system and stood up, looking at his handiwork. Damian's face was now littered with bruises and covered in blood that had spilled from his nose.

"How does it feel to be defenseless like that Charmander? Doesn't feel good does it? Jerks like you sicken me!" Spitting on Damian, Ash gave one more strong kick to the guy's privates for good measure before turning around and heading back to the Pokémon Center. He left the teen moaning and crying in pain in the middle of the road. His goal had been accomplished; he got revenge for Charmander.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash stepped into the Pokémon Center, completely ignoring Damian's posse that didn't seem to pay him any attention either. If they decided to start something when they discovered what happened to their friend, he'd send out Gyarados to take care of them. He was tired of playing around with bullies and just wanted to get on with his Pokémon journey. Taking off his hat, he ran a hand through his raven hair and sighed. The adrenaline had left when he walked through the Center's doors, leaving him feeling rather tired. While he didn't regret beating the crap out of that guy, Ash knew he'd have to work on his anger when it came to situations like this. He had let his testosterone and adrenaline get the best of him.

Walking up to the counter, he asked Nurse Joy how Charmander was in a quiet voice. She briefly glanced at the small group of teenagers, understanding why he was being quiet, and motioned for him to follow her.

Ash quietly followed her until they came upon the Critical Care ward, and his eyes went wide when he saw Charmander through the glass window. It was hooked up to various different machines to monitor its health and vital signs. His eyes saddened when he saw the feeding tube that was in the lizard's mouth. He was just thankful there was no need for a respirator. The trainer turned his attention to the nurse when she began to speak in a solemn voice.

"You're very lucky you brought that Charmander in here when you did. Had you been any later, it would have died, even with the healing items you used on it," she told Ash, staring at the Charmander through the glass. Ash turned his attention back to the Fire type with a sad little hum. "Not even healing items would have healed the internal injuries it had. That combined with its emaciated state nearly ended its life for good. As it is, I had to restart its heart two times before its body became stable enough for me to get it started on nutrients via an IV. How on _Earth_ did this poor thing get in this condition?" Ash noticed her glaring at him and held up his hands in defence.

"Whoa, it wasn't me, honest! I found it like that, I would _never_ harm a Pokémon like that!" Ash hurriedly explained. Joy just sighed and turned back to look at the Charmander.

"Unfortunately, I could do nothing to save its left eye, it was too heavily damaged from whatever attacked it. I had to remove it and stitch the eyelid shut," Joy said, in a rather sad tone. Ash shuddered a bit at the image that crossed his mind and looked at the Pokemon's face and noticed the stitches that were below where its left eye used to be. He was cut from his musings when Nurse Joy continued talking. "I do have something that will fade that scar to a nearly unnoticeable line that I plan on putting on it, but not until those stitches can be removed."

Ash simply shook his head. "No, leave the scar. It will be proof to the testament of its strength and resolve to live from now until the end of its life," he said in a resolved voice. Joy looked at him in confusion.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Ash simply nodded without a word and Joy sighed. "I assume you plan on taking Charmander in as your Pokémon when its healed then?"

"Only if it wants to come with me," he answered and said nothing more. Nurse Joy gave a short hum in answer.

"You'll have quite a problem on your hands if it does. Abused Pokémon, like people, don't trust very easily, even the ones who help them," she told him in warning. Ash just gave a small smile.

"This Charmander will be different, I can tell," he said. With that, he went back to staring at Charmander, who twitched a bit in its sleep.

Ash knew this Charmander would be different, he could feel it in his heart. It was a fighter with a strong heart and a pure soul, despite all the pain and hatred it had been shown so far. He already felt a connection to the little Pokémon, even though they barely knew one another. Ash just knew it would make the right decision when the time came.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

It was nearly a week before the Charmander was well enough to be taken off the feeding tube and have the stitches removed. The whole time Ash had stayed by its side, talking to it about his adventures and the Pokémon he had gotten so far. He spoke of his dreams, his hopes, his fears, and anything else he could think of. Charmander had listened, enraptured by the trainer's words. It was nearly driven to tears with how much love this trainer had for his Pokémon and how dedicated he was to making them the best they could be. He was nothing like his first trainer, that was for sure. This Ash human was the kind of trainer he had always dreamed of having. Even when his Pokémon got hurt from training, he would heal them right away and give them a rest to recover their strength.

Of course, this wasn't the only thing that had happened during the week. During a light training session with his Pokémon where he had them work on attack dodging, the group of teenagers had tried to gang up on him when they found out what happened to their friend Damian. All three of his Pokémon had attacked the teens, defending their trainer and friend. Ash never saw them again after that.

Charmander had watched the whole thing from inside its room with a wide eye.

It wasn't until three days later that Charmander was able to stand up and walk on its own. Ash was really glad that Pokémon could recover so fast like that. He knew if it had been a human, they would have been hospitalized for weeks!

The following day, Ash felt it was time to move on and head to Celadon City. Standing outside the Pokémon Center with Charmander, they both waved goodbye to Nurse Joy before Ash knelt in front of Charmander and addressed him.

"Well Charmander, I've had a great time talking to you, but this is where we part ways," he told the little Fire type. Charmander just tilted its head to the side in confusion. "You're free now buddy, free to do what you want! No more Damian, no more abuse, nothing! You can return to your home, train yourself to become stronger, do whatever, but you're free," Ash said with conviction. _'If I didn't want to be a Pokémon trainer so badly, I could have gone into acting as a career.'_ With that, he stood up and walked away, leaving Charmander to stare at him as he walked away. Silently, in his head, the trainer counted down from ten. Just as he reached one, he felt something attach to his leg and looked down; Charmander was desperately clinging to his pant leg and wasn't about to let go any time soon.

Sighing in amusement, Ash reached down to untangle the lizard clinging to him like a baby Mankey. After a bit of a struggle, he managed to do it and once again knelt in front of the Charmander.

"What's the matter Charmander?" Ash asked in fake confusion.

"Char Char Charmander Char!" the Pokémon explained, wildly waving its arms around; trying to communicate what it wanted. Ash just chuckled inside his head at its enthusiasm.

"You want to come with me, is that it?" he asked. Charmander vigorously nodded its head and jumped into Ash's arms and nuzzled its head against his chest, surprising the trainer immensely. Ash just beamed and pulled out an empty PokeBall.

"Welcome to the team Charmander," he said and held up the ball to the Pokémon. It reached out a hand and pushed on the white button, allowing itself to be sucked in and be captured without a fight. Standing up, Ash whooped and danced around in joy while clutching his new Charmander's PokeBall in his hand. He finally got a Charmander, a Pokémon he had wanted for so long!

Forcing himself to calm down, he clipped the PokeBall to his belt before pulling off Trapinch's and releasing him and putting the little ant on his shoulder.

"We're finally off to Celadon City, Trapinch!" Ash told him.

"Trap!" Trapinch cheered as Ash started walking further away from the Pokémon Center that would forever be in his memory.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

It was another week before Ash had reached Celadon City. During that week, he had introduced Charmander to the rest of his small team. At first the small lizard had been highly intimidated by the large beast of a Pokémon that was Gyarados, but he had warmed up to her after finding out she was nothing but a big softy at heart.

The raven-haired trainer had scanned Charmander while he was introducing himself to the other Pokémon. He had found out it was a male, with the ability Blaze. His move pool left a lot to be desired with three Fire attacks and one Steel, but it was a decent start and Ash was confident in Charmander's ability to learn a variety of attacks in a decent amount of time. The one move he really wanted the little fire lizard to learn was Dragon Claw, but he wanted him to increase the strength of his other moves a bit more first before he had Charmander start working on the Dragon attack.

He would save Charmander's training until after the next gym battle, for now he wanted all of them to have a vacation first.

Reaching the entrance to the city, he nearly gagged at the strong smell of perfume that permeated the air of the whole place. It wasn't just one scent, it was multiple scents combined together and it gave Ash the worst headache he had ever experienced. Returning Trapinch, and cursing at the fact that the Pokémon didn't have a nose to suffer with his trainer, Ash pulled up his shirt to cover his nose and mouth, and ran in to the city as quickly as he could.

Ignoring the strange looks people gave him, he ran until he got to an area where the scent wasn't as strong, which happened to be next to a busy road that had cars zooming past the pedestrians. He stopped and leaned against a building, putting his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. A feminine sounding chuckle that came from his right made him look up. He blushed when he saw a gorgeous young woman also leaning up against the building, but in a more relaxed pose, looking at him with an amused face.

Ash looked over her features rather quickly, trying not to make it look noticeable. She had long, somewhat wavy, brown hair with two blonde strands framing her face. Her eyes were also brown he noticed. She was wearing a tight black tank top and black bell bottoms. Around her waist was a sparkling white belt that held six PokeBalls with three on each side. Around her neck was a scarf that was also white. To him, she looked to be in her early twenties and around 5'7" in height.

When Ash went to look at her shoes, he finally noticed the large and beautiful Persian sitting her her heels, giving itself a bath.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" The voice startled Ash out of his thoughts and he snapped up to look at the young woman. "She's been with me for fifteen years. I got her as a Meowth on my seventh birthday as a gift. She's been my best friend and partner ever since," the young woman told Ash. He looked down at the Pokémon once more and marveled at it. This was the first time he had seen a Persian up close. _'Fifteen years? Wow, it, I mean she, must be really strong. I wouldn't mind testing my Pokémon out against her.'_

"Do you think I could battle your Persian? I would love to test out how strong my Pokémon are against her," Ash asked, hoping the unnamed female trainer would acquiesce. He was disappointed when she declined after looking at her black and silver watch and slapping a finely manicured hand to her forehead, exclaiming she was late for a meeting with someone.

"I'll be in town for a while, so we might be able to battle later. Oh, and don't let the fumes from the perfume around here get to your head! Toodles!" With that, she ran off, her Persian giving a quick meow of irritation before running after her. Ash just titled his head to the side in curiosity. _'What a strange woman. Beautiful though.' _Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he suddenly gave a loud sneeze when a particularly large whiff of perfume crossed under his nose. Growling, he stalked over to a nearby person and asked them where the Pokémon Center was.

Later, as Ash was waiting on Nurse Joy to finish checking on his Pokémon in the waiting area, _'Seriously, how can all these Joys look alike? Urgh, it hurts my brain to even think about it...'_, the rookie trainer had spotted a poster on the Center's bulletin board that depicted a Venasaur and Charizard launching attacks at each other. Walking over to it, Ash finally made out what it said.

**Fire Vs. Grass**

_Come test out your Fire or Grass type against each other at Celadon City's annual Fire Vs. Grass competition!_

_Think your Grass type has what it takes to defeat a Fire type?_

_Think your Fire type has what it takes to defeat a Grass type?_

_Then come on down to Celadon City Square and sign up today!_

_Sign up for free before 1:30 (limited slots)!_

_Admissions are $5._

Ash's eyes sparkled after he read the poster. _'This will be the perfect chance to test out Charmander's strength and to make him see his worth as a great Pokémon!'_ Looking over at the clock hanging behind the counter, noticing it was 12:30 already. _'I have an hour left to sign us up. Better go see how close Nurse Joy is to being done with the check-up.'_ Striding on over to the front counter, he was about to ring the bell when Nurse Joy came out from the back holding a tray with his PokeBalls on it.

"Oh, Ash, right on time! Your Pokémon are all in tip top shape," Joy told him. Ash smiled and took his Pokémon back with a 'thank you' and clipped the balls onto his belt. "No problem. Take care now." He nodded at her and ran out the doors, hurrying to get to the City Square.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

When Ash finally found his way to the City Square, he noticed the long line he would have to wait in. Sighing in irritation he took his place in line and waited. He was going to throw a rampage as fierce as a Gyarados if he didn't get a spot in the competition. He needn't had worried though, as after he registered they closed registration, making everyone who was in line behind him shuffle off in a disappointed slump.

Taking the badge from the person behind the registration booth, Ash noticed it was in the shape of a flame with the letter "C" in the middle of it. He looked up at the booth operator in confusion.

"That, young sir, signifies what Fire group you will be in for the competition. There are three groups for both Fire and Grass- A, B, and C. As I can see this is your first time registering for this competition, I'll explain the rules for you if you'd like," the guy told him. Ash nodded in answer. "Well, the competitors are split into three groups. A class is for experienced and seasoned competitors, B class is intermediate battlers, and C class is for rookie trainers who have just started their journeys this year." Seeing Ash's indignant face, the booth operator continued. "The classes are there to prevent any unfair battles between the competitors. Do you understand young man?" Ash sighed and nodded. He didn't like it, but he understood. The prospect of Charmander going up against a fully evolved Charizard or Venasaur and winning was zero to none. Especially since he didn't even get any training in with him.

The guy pointed him over to the C class Fire group after also explaining how the elimination rounds went. _'So, it's Fire against Fire and Grass against Grass to weed out the competition huh? This should be fun.'_ Walking over towards the group, he noticed it was comprised of mostly younger trainers like himself, with a few older ones here and there.

The elimination rounds began with the Grass groups, going in order from A class to C class. The battles were so intense that it made the determination to win even bigger inside of Ash. Though he was glad he didn't put up a fight to be in a higher class, poor Charmander would have been creamed.

The elimination battles ended with sixteen trainers in each class. Unlike with the Fire groups, the Grass groups had sixteen trainers for the main battles to give them a bit of an edge over the Fire types. Only one Fire type trainer from each class would move on to the final rounds. If they lost, then the Grass type trainers would face off against one another for the winning spot.

The Fire groups were up next and Ash started to get a bit nervous as he would be battling with an audience for the first time, but forcefully squashed it down. This was going to be great practice for the Pokémon League, which would have an even larger audience watching. The thought of it nearly had him losing his breakfast, but he held off on puking. No way was he going to be sent away now!

At long last it was his turn to battle. He went over to the side of the field he was closest to while his opponent, a girl named Arabella, took the opposite side. The referee took his position.

"Trainers, this will be a one on one elimination match. The winner will move on to the quarter finals. Choose your Pokémon and let the battle begin now!" the referee shouted while lowering his flags that he had been holding up.

Ash unclipped Charmander's PokeBall from his belt. "Charmander, time to battle!" he shouted and threw the ball. His Fire type popped out with a cry of his name and took up a battle stance. Ash looked at him. "Charmander, this is our first battle together. Let's make it a good one!" The Fire lizard turned around and gave his trainer a thumbs up.

"Ha, a puny one-eyed Charmander is no match for my Pokémon!" The girl across from the field mocked, but Ash ignored her. Overconfidence would be her downfall, he reasoned. "Go, shine like a star my Flareon!" she called out, tossing the PokeBall into the air and releasing one of Eevee's evolutions. With a cry of "Flare", the Pokémon landed gracefully on its feet and shook out the large, beautiful mane that surrounded its neck.

Ash studied the Flareon. It was healthy and strong, that he could tell, but there was something... off about it. Shrugging it off, Ash ordered an attack to test the waters.

"Charmander, use Fire Spin, surround that Flareon in flames!" Charmander opened his jaws and spewed out a stream of flames that headed towards his opponent.

"Flareon, dodge the attack!" Arabella called out, but Flareon simply stuck its nose in the air and ignored her order. Ash felt like doing a face plant into the ground at this. _'That's what was off with it, it had a glint in its eyes that screamed defiance! What was this girl thinking entering with a Pokémon that won't listen to her?'_ By this time, Charmander's attack had reached the Flame Pokémon and surrounded it in a funnel of fire. Inside, Flareon was looking around in panic, trying to find a way out.

Ash saw Arabella getting nervous and scared at what was happening. Shaking his head in disbelief at this girl's audacity to enter with a disobedient Pokémon, Ash told Charmander to go in for a Metal Claw. He wanted to end this battle as soon as possible.

Charmander started charging at the flaming funnel while charging up his attack. Just as he reached where Flareon was, the white glow on his claws disappeared, leaving them shining like steel. The Fire Spin attack dissipated just as Charmander jumped and Flareon had no time to react before the new attack was upon it, sending it careening out of the field. It got up and growled before charging at Charmander with a Quick Attack, sending the poor thing flying through the air, landing with a hard thump at Ash's feet. He got up shaking his head, trying to get the ringing sound out of his head caused from the landing.

"Are you alright Charmander?" Ash asked, worried.

"Char," the Pokémon simply said.

"Awesome. That Flareon doesn't listen to its trainer, so we _have_ to take it out soon. A Pokémon unwilling to listen to its trainer's commands is unpredictable, so we'll have to be careful, alright?" Ash said. Charmander nodded, keeping an eye on the Flame Pokémon glaring at him. Ash looked at the girl, noticing how scared she seemed now. _'That overconfident attitude was just a facade.'_ "Call off this battle, Arabella, your Flareon is going to get hurt needlessly if you don't!" he shouted to the girl trainer across the field. _'No way am I forfeiting for some girl's stupid mistake!'_ Ash thought angrily. His temperament just about exploded when she sheepishly shook her head and tried to put on a brave face.

"N-no! I won't give in! Never! Flareon, use Flamethrower!" she said, trying to regain some footing, but once again her Pokémon ignored her and charged at Charmander with another Quick Attack. Ash growled in frustration at her stubbornness. If that's the way she wanted to play, that was fine with him. Hopefully by the time this battle was over, she would learn her lesson.

"Charmander, get ready to jump," the young trainer told him, and the Pokémon got into a position that would allow him to easily jump. Flareon was a couple of feet away when Ash ordered Charmander to jump, and he did, landing on the running Pokemon's back and hanging on for dear life as the fox-looking Fire type tried to shake him off. _'Come on Ash, think! Charmander won't hang on for much longer! Wait, that's it!'_ "Charmander, charge a Metal Claw in both hands, attack it like a Fury Swipes attack!" Ash ordered excitedly. Charmander did as ordered and charged both hands. Once they were both charged, he furiously started slashing at the Flareon, much to its trainer's horror.

Flareon cried out in pain at the repeated attack and finally fell to the ground out of sheer exhaustion and pain. Charmander rolled off of it and stood up in a slouch, panting heavily. The referee studied Flareon before making his decision.

"Flareon is unable to battle, this battle goes to Charmander and its trainer Ash Ketchum! They will now move on to the next elimination round, which will take place after a thirty minute break," he said while raising the flag for Ash's side of the field. While Ash cheered at the victory, Charmander fell over, unable to stand up any longer. Rushing over to him, Ash picked up the tuckered out Pokémon and hugged him.

"You were awesome Charmander! I couldn't have asked for a better first battle out of you if I tried!" he complimented. Charmander just smiled in happiness before promptly passing out. Ash returned him to his PokeBall before turning to look at the girl he had battled. She was hugging Flareon to her chest and silently crying. Sighing, he walked over to her and knelt beside her and her Flareon. "May I ask you something, Arabella?" Ash asked. Wiping her eyes, the little girl nodded. "Did you force Flareon to evolve from an Eevee or was it voluntary?" Sniffing, she answered.

"Eevee wasn't getting any stronger, and even though she seemed reluctant, I went ahead and thrust a Fire Stone on her. I guess... I guess I just wasn't thinking of how she felt about it," Arabella confessed, whimpering and holding Flareon even closer to her for comfort and unaware that her Pokémon was silently listening in. Rubbing his face in exasperation, Ash responded.

"You shouldn't force an evolution on to a Pokémon who may not even want it. Perhaps your Eevee wanted to evolve into something else later? Maybe she wanted to remain an Eevee for the rest of her life? You may have seriously scarred her, both mentally and emotionally," Ash explained to her, telling the girl nothing but the truth. She burst out crying at his words and Ash wanted to smack himself upside the head at his insensitivity, but she needed to hear what he was saying.

"Wha-what can I do to change her back?" Arabella asked innocently. Ash hated himself for what he had to say next.

"I'm sorry Arabella, but once a Pokémon evolves, it can never go back to what it was before. It would be like trying to force _you_ back into being a baby once again. It just can't be done," he said to her, and she once again burst out in tears. "The only thing you can do now is try and make up with Flareon and help her to get used to her new form, make her understand that being a Flareon isn't a bad thing. Help her bring out her full potential as a Fire type and as a Pokémon in general."

Arabella looked down at her Flareon with saddened eyes. "I'm so sorry Flareon, I am so sorry!" she apologized. Flareon finally opened her eyes and looked up at her trainer. She finally saw the understanding in her trainer's eyes at what she had done and instantly forgave her. She was a little girl after all, and had made a mistake. One that could be fixed with time. Flipping over in her trainer's arms, she gave her a lick on the cheek before passing out from emotional exhaustion.

At that, Ash stood up and left, leaving trainer and Pokémon to try to heal old wounds. That and Charmander needed some looking after himself after that battle.

After the thirty minutes were up, Ash's next battle was against a trainer no older than he was named Ethan.

"Vulpix, take the stage!" Ethan called out and released his small fox Pokémon.

"Vul!" the small but beautiful Pokémon cried out as it landed gracefully on all four feet. Ash studied it for a few seconds. _'Doesn't look too strong, but I better not underestimate it.'_

"Charmander, you're up again!" Ash said and released his one-eyed lizard. He gave a cry of his name and got into battle position, having a stare down with his opponent. Ethan wasted no time in ordering an attack.

"Vulpix, use Quick Attack!" Vulpix complied, and instead of running in a straight line like most Pokémon do with the attack, the fox Pokémon started zigzagging around the field. Charmander followed its erratic pattern with confusion on his face. _'What the...?' _Ash thought.

"Charmander, try to hit it with Flamethrower!"

"Char Char!" He called out and opened his jaws and unleashed a torrent of fire at Vulpix, but the attack missed as the fox moved out of the way. Ash growled and told Charmander to keep trying, but Flamethrower just wouldn't hit Vulpix.

Ash grit his teeth in frustration and nearly yelled as Vulpix closed in on Charmander, hitting him in the stomach and sending him sliding back a few feet. The fire lizard cried out in pain, but stood back up nonetheless.

"Good job Vulpix, use Quick Attack again," Ethan called out and Vulpix started its odd attack pattern again.

Ash was getting rather frustrated and knew Charmander was at a speed disadvantage. _'I need to figure out how to slow down that Vulpix! Wait...'_ "Charmander, use Metal Claw on the field! Run around with your claws dragging and tear the field up, we need to stop that Vulpix in its tracks!" Charmander gave a cry of understanding and did as asked. He charged up Metal Claw in both hands, bent over, and starting running around the field with his claws on the ground. This caused the ground to split open and it sent dirt flying. Some of the dirt somehow hit Vulpix in the face, causing it to cry out and trip over one of the cracks on the field caused by Charmander, instantly halting the Quick Attack, and made the fox fall face first on to the ground.

"Vulpix, no! Get up and go for a Confuse Ray instead!" Ethan ordered, panicking a bit. Ash was suddenly hit with a spark of inspiration.

_'Charmander doesn't know any Ground attacks yet, but we can improvise!'_ "Charmander, dig at the ground and send dirt at Vulpix!" Getting the idea, the fire lizard grinned, turning tail to Vulpix who was just getting up and shaking the dirt of its face, and started rapidly flinging dirt at the red fox. It cried out in pain as the dirt hit it over and over, dealing some super effective damage.

The crowd was in awe at this strategy. It was simple, but effective nonetheless. Some were even writing it down so that they could use it in the future.

Eventually Vulpix could take no more and collapsed to the ground in a dead faint.

The referee quickly studied Vulpix.

"Vulpix is unable to battle, Charmander is the winner!" he yelled out and raised the flag that represented Ash and Charmander in a sign of victory.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash and Charmander were now in the final elimination round and nearing the end of the battle against a teenager named Russel using a Ponyta. His second to last battle was against a trainer younger than him who had a Magby, which he found out via his PokeDex was the baby form of Magmar. It had obviously just hatched not too long ago as Charmander was able to take it down easily with a close-ranged Flamethrower.

This Ponyta though was proving to be a pain in his rear. Just like the Vulpix he faced earlier, it was incredibly fast and dodged every one of Charmander's attacks. Charmander had managed to dodge all of Ponyta's Fire attacks, but it managed to score a hit with a Stomp, dealing some heavy damage to his fire lizard and making Ash increasingly frustrated.

The worst part was, Russel had ordered his fire horse to use his improvised Mudslap against Charmander. Having his own strategy used against him made the young trainer furious. _'I don't know what to do... Charmander can't take much more of this... Hey wait, Ponyta need all four legs to run. If I can manage to get Charmander to injure one of its legs, I should be able to turn this match around!'_ Ash was in luck as Russel had ordered a Quick Attack after he had his Ponyta stop kicking dirt up with its back hooves.

"Alright Charmander, this is our chance! Wait until it gets in close and bite down on one of its legs. We need to cripple that Ponyta!" Ash told his panting Pokémon. He gave a short nod at the order and waited until the fire horse was close enough before jumping at its left front leg and biting down hard. This caused Ponyta to neigh in pain and halt its attack.

"Ponyta!" Russel cried out as he watched his fire horse fall to its knees from a now injured leg.

"Charmander, rapid Metal Claw attack!" Charmander heeded the order and started swiping at the horse's face over and over while it lay there vulnerable.

"Ponyta, get it away from you, use Headbutt!" Russel yelled out, and Ponyta tried to follow his order and raised its head, but that was a mistake as the horse's throat was now exposed and Charmander took advantage of it by swiping a few more times before spewing out a close-ranged Flamethrower, sending Ponyta skidding across the ground several feet. It tried to stand up, but with a weak neigh, it toppled over on to the ground unconscious.

"Ponyta is unable to battle, the winner of the elimination round for Group C Fire is Ash Ketchum!" The referee called out.

It was now time to move on to the main competition.

The rest of the competitors he went up against afterward in the main knockout rounds were nothing but a joke. Of course they were using Grass types, but they could barely put up a decent fight against Charmander. After putting the medallion on Charmander, the award for winning in your class, Ash dearly wished he had gone up against other Fire types after the elimination rounds instead. At least it would have been a better challenge through the whole thing. He noted that the A class winner had won with a Victreebel and the B class winner had won with a Magmar. He could see why, they were powerful looking. He decided to go over and congratulate the other two class winners after the winner's ceremony. He chose to go over to the A class winner first.

"Hey, congrats on winning! Your Victreebel was incredible out there," Ash said. The young teenager turned around when he heard Ash's voice. He had red spiky hair that hung down passed his shoulders, and deep blue eyes. He was wearing what Ash would call "biker gear", chains and all.

"Heh, thanks man. I was quite impressed by your Charmander out there myself. It practically demolished the competition. Looks like the thing has been through some tough battles before with the scar that it has," the guy complimented. Ash just rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Aaaaaactually, I've only had Charmander for about a week. This was his first true battling experience," Ash admitted. The teen's eyes just widened and he made a low whistle.

"Holy Mew, I can only imagine how strong he'll be when he's fully evolved if his power right now is anything to go by," he said, in pure shock. Ash looked proud for his Pokémon.

"Yeah, I'm very proud of him right now, and I haven't even gotten a chance to train him yet. Say, tell me about your Victreebel. It's quite the feat to win with a Grass type in this competition, or so I've heard," Ash asked, truly curious about the Grass/Poison type in front of him. The teen's face glowed in pride when he looked over at his Pokémon.

"I started my journey last year with Bellsprout as my starter and partner. When we got to Celadon, we were in time for this competition, so naturally I signed us up. We managed to make it to the semi-finals in the C class elimination round, but we lost to a Bulbasaur. We sure put up quite a fight though, didn't we pal?" Victreebel just gave a screech in confirmation, and its trainer continued. "I made a promise to my partner that we would win next year, so we trained constantly for the rest of that year, and well, here we are. I now plan on going for badges to compete in the Pokémon League that's being held in a few months."

"Cool, so am I! Maybe we'll meet up there in the future. I sure would love to battle you! By the way, I'm Ash Ketchum. I'm trying to become a Dragon Master," Ash told him, holding his hand out. The teen grasped his hand and they shook in greeting.

"Nice to meet you dude, I'm David Sparks. A Dragon Master eh? Well, good luck to you, that's a difficult path to go down. I honestly have no certain path to go on right now, I'm just following where the wind takes me. Oh, and if you were planning on greeting and congratulating the B class winner, I would advise against it," David warned him, while jerking his head towards the guy that had won in B class.

"Why?" Ash asked, honestly confused.

"Because he's a pompous, egotistical jerk! I tried to congratulate him on his win earlier and he just stuck his nose up at me!" David complained, glaring at the other guy. Ash raised an eyebrow at this.

"Oh he did, did he? I think I can take him down a peg or two," the young trainer said, and started walking over to the other guy.

"Wait, dude, wait! Ugh, whatever, wait for me!" his new friend said, running after Ash with Victreebel right behind him.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash walked up behind the B class winner and tapped him on his suit-clad shoulder. He turned around and glared at the young trainer with cold, hard, green eyes.

"And what do _you_ want you worthless commoner?" the guy asked and Ash had to reign in his laughter. Seriously, David was intimidated by this guy? He found his attitude hilarious!

"Well, I _was_ planning on complimenting you on your win, but now I decided I want to battle you one on one. Your Magmar versus the Pokémon I will choose. Deal?" Ash said, laying the trap. It was hook, line, and sinker. The guy just snorted in disbelief.

"Like a street rat such as yourself would win against _my_ Magmar. Whatever, it shall be your funeral then," he said and walked away, expecting Ash to follow him. David came up from behind him, looking worried.

"You sure about this Ash? He has been training for far longer than you have you know," he told Ash. The raven haired trainer just smirked.

"Had this been a Water versus Grass competition, the Pokémon I'm going to use against him right now would have put me in B class, if not A. Come on, before he runs off because of impatience," Ash said, and followed the jerk to an open area in the Square. David just sighed, returned Victreebel, and ran after Ash. _Again_. When he had caught up to him, both his new friend and the pompous jerk had taken a place on each side of the open area.

"Alright Magmar, let's show this weak commoner how a _real_ Pokémon fights!" he told his Pokémon, and Magmar responded with a cry of its name before taking up a battle position in front of its trainer. Ash just rolled his eyes and pulled out a PokeBall.

"We're gonna end this quickly. Gyarados, you're up to battle!" Ash cried out while tossing his strongest Pokémon's ball. The other two male's eyes went wide when she came out roaring, intimidating Magmar and causing the Spitfire Pokemon to back up.

David went wide-eyed at the sheer awesomeness of his new friend having a Pokémon like Gyarados. The other guy's eyes went wide in fear.

"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump," Ash commanded softly. Gyarados roared once and sent a huge torrent of water at Magmar from her mouth. The other guy finally snapped out of his fear.

"Magmar, counter with Flamethrower, hurry!" he shouted desperately. Magmar did as he asked and sent a strong stream of fire at the incoming Hydro Pump. The Water attack easily broke through it and hit its target, sending Magmar flying into a nearby tree. It stood up on shaky legs, surprising Ash greatly. _'It's got great endurance, that's for sure. It's just a shame it belongs to that jerk.' _

"Finish it off with an Aqua Tail, Gyarados," Ash told her. Water suddenly engulfed her tail and she sprung forward at a speed that surprised David greatly. Just as the Aqua Tail attack descended upon Magmar, its trainer made a surprising decision.

"Magmar, Thunder Punch now!" Magmar quickly charged up a Thunder Punch and sent it at the incoming tail, causing both Pokémon severe pain and they both cried out. A minor explosion occurred from the attack collision, sending both Pokémon flying in the opposite direction. Both Ash's and David's eyes went as wide as saucers when they saw Gyarados' massive bulk coming right at them. They barely managed to roll out of the way in time as she skidded across the ground, right where they were standing before.

Spitting out the grass that he had somehow gotten into his mouth, Ash looked up and noticed Gyarados had recovered from the explosion and was shaking her head to clear it. The young trainer sighed and stood up, walking over to her after helping David to his feet.

"You alright girl?" Ash asked his Pokémon. She just gave a guttural rumble in her throat as confirmation and turned to look at her opponent.

Magmar was knocked out cold at its trainer's feet.

Gyarados gave a mighty roar in victory before falling over unconscious. Ash gasped and started running his hands over her, trying to find out why she had passed out. Neither Ash nor David noticed that the other guy had returned his Magmar and walked away silently.

"It's probably just from exhaustion. The battle may have been short, but it was intense," David explained. Ash just hummed.

"It was also her first real battle," Ash told him. David said nothing, he just stood looking at Ash, who was stroking his Pokemon's head tenderly.

"You seem awfully close to your Gyarados. That's not something many people can boast about ya know," the redhead said, after minutes of silence.

"She saved my life," was all Ash told him. David's eyes went wide and his curiosity nagged at him, but he held it off. If his friend wanted to tell him how his Gyarados saved his life, he would. If not, he wouldn't ask.

Ash never elaborated on it.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Two hours later, both David and Ash were standing side by side at the east end of the city, watching the crescent moon rise up from the horizon. A slight breeze was blowing, ruffling their hair and clothes, and bringing the scent of the salty waters of the ocean that was nearby. Ash breathed it in deeply, enjoying it. It was a vast improvement over the headache inducing smells of the perfume that seemed to be layered thick all around the city. He saw a beach in the distance and planned to take his Pokémon there tomorrow for a day of relaxation.

"So, David, where do you plan to go from here?" Ash asked, finally turning his gaze away from the beach to look at his friend. David hummed in thought for a few seconds.

"Well, I wanted to do the gym's in order, so I think I'll head to Fuchsia City and catch a boat there to Pallet Town," he said. Ash looked at him in confusion.

"Why are you going to take the long way to Pewter City?" Ash asked. David could leave through the west end of the city and get to Pewter City in just a few weeks, so why would he take a month long boat trip from Fuchsia City to Pallet Town?

"I actually want to meet Professor Oak before I begin my true journey. That and I want to experience what it is like for trainers from Pallet Town, ya know? Since you are from there and all," David stated. Ash nodded in understanding.

"Hey, David, could you say hi to my mom for me if you see her?" Ash requested. David raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, if I can remember what she _looks_ like," the redhead stated in amusement. Ash smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Right, sorry. She's got long brown hair that she usually keeps in a loose ponytail. She's usually wearing a pink blouse and a blue skirt. Kind of hard to miss her really," Ash said, describing his mother. His eyes misted over a bit as he thought of her. _'I almost died and she wouldn't have known for Mew knows how long...' _Pushing the thought out of his head and blinking his eyes rapidly to get rid of the oncoming tears, he turned to stare at the beach again. He didn't want David to see him upset over his mother of all things.

"Thanks," David said and looked at the watch on his wrist. "I should be going if I want to catch that boat in time." Ash looked at him in surprise.

"You're leaving already?" he asked, sadness lacing his voice.

"Yeah, sorry man. But hey, we'll meet up at the Pokémon League and have our battle, right?" David stated, and Ash sighed then nodded. Ash never noticed the smirk on his friend's face until it was too late. He was suddenly grabbed in a headlock and having his first ever noogie raining down on him.

"Ow ow, knock it off! Ha ha, stop!" the young trainer complained, while David laughed his head off. Eventually, the young teen let go of Ash and he straightened up, adjusting his hat that had gone lopsided from having a fist rammed into it. After setting it straight, he turned to glare at David, who was looking rather pleased with himself.

"What the heck was that for?" Ash shouted and the redhead burst out laughing so hard that he had to bend over with his hands on his knees. Ash crossed his arms and continued to glare at David, waiting on him to calm down. After he finally calmed down, the young teen stood back up and wiped off the tears on his face.

"Oh man, that was great. You've never gotten a noogie before have you?" Ash just glared at him harder. "I'll take that as a no. I did the same thing to my little brother when he was down about me leaving on my journey. It got you out of your slump, didn't it?" David asked. Ash had to admit, he wasn't feeling sad anymore, but now he just felt aggravation. Forcing himself to calm down, he watched as David took a look at the time again.

"I've wasted enough time already, I should get going now," David said, and clapped Ash on the back. "See ya at the Pokémon League man." With that, he started walking out of the city and towards the bike path that would take him to Fuchsia City.

Sighing, Ash walked back to the Pokémon Center and stayed in the room he had rented there for the rest of the night.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

The next day, as he had promised, Ash took his Pokémon down to the beach outside of Celadon. It was humbly named "Celadon Beach" from what he read on the sign. _'Talk about an unoriginal name. Should have just named it Perfume Resort Beach instead.'_ Ash snorted at his thought. Looking around, he noticed there were very few people there, and he was glad for it. He hated crowded places, especially cities, but he could do nothing but put up with it.

Finding a decent spot, Ash laid down his beach towel then pulled off the white t-shirt he had worn to the beach, leaving him in nothing but a pair of black swimming trunks that had a Dragonite on the corner of the left leg. Walking over to the water that was lapping at the sand in gentle waves, the young trainer released Gyarados from her PokeBall. She let out a roar to announce her presence, making the other beach goers nearby scatter like flies. Looking around at her surroundings, she gave a growl in happiness before looking down at her trainer.

"Hey, girl, today's a vacation day. Go have fun in the ocean for the day and make sure to come back at sunset alright?" Ash told her. Gyarados nodded, bent down and headbutted her trainer in a friendly manner. It knocked him off his feet though, and she let out a rumbling chortle in amusement before turning around and diving into the water, creating a large splash that soaked Ash to the bone.

Blowing a wet strand of hair out of his face, Ash stood up and shook some of the water off of him, mumbling to himself while he did so.

"Big, overgrown, catfish doesn't even know her own strength sometimes," he uttered under his breath, and walked back over to his beach towel and sat down. Pulling out his other three Pokémon he had temporarily put in his backpack, he released them one by one.

"OK, you guys go have fun. I'm going to lay here and take a bit of a nap, I didn't get much sleep last night," he told them and laid down on his towel, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. Ash was soon snoring away.

Trapinch, Nidoran, and Charmander looked at one another before walking over to an empty area on the beach to build a sandcastle. As Charmander sat down, the medal that was still around his neck shifted, catching his attention. He had forgotten that it was there and decided to pull it off to look at it more closely. Holding it up to his snout, he had to tilt his head to the left a bit to fully take it in.

It was a beautiful medal. The neck strap was a soft, but sturdy, brown leather made to last for a long time. The actual medallion part made him stare in awe though. It was made of pure gold with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and citrines lined the edges on both sides in an alternating pattern. In the center were the engraved words:

_**C Class**_

_**1st Place**_

_**Winner**_

Charmander flipped it over, but the words carved into the back were so tiny he couldn't make them out. He suddenly looked up when he heard sounds of admiration. The little lizard saw Trapinch and Nidoran studying his medal with looks of awe.

"Ne ne ne?" Nidoran asked, pointing at the medal with a clawed paw. Charmander blinked, realizing his trainer hadn't told his other Pokémon about the competiton.

"Char Char, mander Char Charmander Char," Charmander said, explaining how he won the medal.

"Trap Trap, Trap Trap?" Trapinch wondered, confused as to why Ash never told the rest of them about the competition. Charmander just shrugged and told them that it probably slipped their trainer's mind. Trapinch let off a laugh at that, remembering just how absentminded Ash could be. He saw it first hand when they were lost in Viridian Forest for two weeks. Trapinch remembered his trainer leaving behind his backpack twice at camp, so intent on getting out of the place that he didn't even realize it until they were further into the forest. They had to run back there both times, getting even more lost.

Deciding to get back to their sandcastle building, Charmander walked over and put the medal in his trainer's backpack for safe keeping then returned to the group and got busy after forcing Nidoran to go fill the bucket they had found with water.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

It was late in the afternoon before Ash finally woke up. He sat up yawning and stretched out his limbs. The first thing he was greeted to was the sight of Gyarados flying out of the water with a small amount of Goldeen in her mouth. He watched in horrid fascination as she closed her powerful jaws on them and swallowed before going back underwater. Ash gulped at the reminder that his powerful partner was a predator of the seas. He could now understand the fear people had of Gyarados', it was an instinct to run in the presence of such a large predator that could swallow a human whole if they wanted to. He failed to realize they were also very protective of those they cared about. Protective enough to kill if it came to that.

Shaking his head, he stood up shakily. He wasn't about to be afraid of his own Pokémon for no reason. Gyarados could've eaten him at any time had she wanted to, but she hadn't and never would. Sighing to calm his racing heart, he looked over at his other Pokémon. Ash's eyes bulged out at the huge sandcastle he was looking at. His other three Pokémon were running in and out of it, playing some sort of game. The trainer was about to call for them when he heard screams coming from the other beach goers.

Frantically looking around for the source, Ash finally spotted the source of the screams; it was a Nidoking and a rather large one at that. It looked like it was on a rampage as it tore through people's belongings and chasing the owners. Ash narrowed his eyes and quickly packed up his things before putting his backpack over his shoulders.

"Charmander, use Flamethrower to get that Nidoking's attention on us!" Charmander looked uncertain at the command, but Ash's shouted "Now!" had him spewing the fire stream at the out of control Pokémon. It hit the Nidoking in the back, enraging it even more and making it charge toward the three Pokémon. The terror on his Pokemon's faces made Ash act quickly.

"Trapinch, dig a sand pit so that we can trap it. Nidoran, Charmander, stand in front of Trapinch and egg on Nidoking and make sure to jump out of the way in time," he told them and they did as he said, though Charmander and Nidoran were looking less than pleased at the order. They attacked the Nidoking with low powered Poison Stings and Embers, making the rampaging Pokémon even angrier.

Trapinch had finished the pit by the time it was a few feet away from them and Charmander and Nidoran got ready to jump. When the Nidoking was two feet away from them, both Pokémon quickly jumped to the sides. Not expecting this, the Nidoking tried to slide to a stop, only to get trapped in the pit from the waist down. It roared in anger and struggled to get out. Ash and his Pokémon sighed in relief, but it was short lived as Nidoking managed to burst its way out of the sand and swung its powerful tail at the three Pokémon, sending them flying away from Ash. All but Nidoran landed knocked out on the sand.

Nidoran forced himself to his feet and looked up, noticing the Nidoking advancing on Ash. His red eyes widened as it picked his trainer up and charged up a Hyper Beam, intending on killing the human in its arms. Nidoran's eyes narrowed in anger and a rage like no other overtook him when he saw the terrified look on Ash's face. Letting out a war cry, Nidoran charged, just as he felt the energy that has been so close to the surface for the past few weeks, burst out, engulfing him in a white aura. He felt his teeth split and get sharper, his body and horn get larger and longer, and best of all, his speed and power increase.

When the glow died down, in Nidoran's place ran the much more powerful Nidorino. He gave out a cry before charging up one of his new attacks. Before it knew what hit it, Nidoking was hit with full force from behind by a Drill Run, sending it into the ground a few feet away. Ash was thrown out of its grip and landed on his back in the sand near the ocean. He was still too terrified to comprehend what was happening and instead stared at Nidorino as he sent an Ice Beam at the fallen Nidoking, freezing parts of its body.

Nidoking broke free of the ice, roared, and charged at Nidorino while powering up a Brick Break. Unfortunately for it, a strong Flamethrower from a recovered Charmander came soaring at it from over Nidorino's head, propelling the angry Drill Pokémon backwards. Before it had a chance to recover, Trapinch popped out of the sand with a charged up Crunch and he chomped down on its horn, causing the Nidoking to roar out in pain. It swung its head side to side trying to dislodge the little Ground type. The swinging forced Trapinch to hang on tighter. Eventually a "snap" was heard along with a larger roar of pain as the horn on Nidoking broke from the power of Trapinch's jaws. Blood poured from the area where it broke off, covering the Nidoking's face in its own life-giving fluid. It glared menacingly at the three Pokémon now standing side by side and was about to charge when a fierce and rage filled roar made all four Pokémon stop.

Turning toward the water, they saw Gyarados quickly swimming towards shore with a look of extreme rage on her face that it made all of them shiver in fear, but the only one who had anything to worry about was the Nidoking. As soon as she was on land, she roughly grabbed it by the tail, her teeth piercing the tough skin, causing blood to spill from where the teeth penetrated the hide. The Drill Pokémon tried to fight back, but it was suddenly tossed in the air with a Hyper Beam hitting it in the face.

It was unconscious long before it hit the beach.

Gyarados picked Nidoking up once more and swung her head with such force that it sent the unconscious Pokémon sailing across the water several hundred feet. It finally hit the water and sank to the bottom.

The Nidoking was never seen again after that.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Two days later, Ash and Trapinch were standing and staring at the Celadon City Gym. Ash was feeling very nervous about this battle though. He hadn't researched the gym leaders after the Vermilion Gym, so he was going in rather blind. Judging by the city and the way the gym looked, he could guess that it was a Grass type gym. As he continued staring at the building in front of him, Ash reflected on what happened a day and a half ago.

After his Pokémon had disposed of the wild Nidoking, Ash had finally snapped out of his terrified state and hugged all of his Pokémon close to him, thanking them over and over again. He couldn't believe how weak he had been in the face of danger and made a promise to himself he would toughen up, somehow. He knew he was only ten years old with little to no life experience, but he had to try. For his and his Pokemon's sake.

He had studied and admired Nidorino afterward, making the tough Pokémon puff up in pride. Ash asked him to show him his new attacks and he obliged eagerly. He had returned all his Pokémon after that and trudged back to the Pokémon Center and handed them over to Nurse Joy to be healed, before going to his room and crashing. He slept through most of the following day.

The whole experience had brought him even closer to his Pokémon.

The tapping on his shoulder brought him out of his reverie and turned his head to look at Trapinch. He noticed the worried look in his eyes.

"Trap?" the little Pokémon asked. Ash reached up and caressed Trapinch's jaws.

"I'm fine buddy, honest," Ash said, seeing the skeptical look in Trapinch's eyes. "Come on, let's go get our fourth badge!" Pumping a fist in the air, he ran into the gym and up to the counter. A young woman was behind it, typing away on a computer. Ash cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Excuse me, but uh... I'd like to challenge the gym leader please," he stated in a polite voice. He was careful not to comment on the gagging perfume odor that hung in the air. He had gone past the perfume shop near the entrance a little while ago and witnessed some guy getting kicked out of the shop for complaining about the smell and perfume. He heard later that the guy had been denied a gym battle because of his dislike of perfume. Ash had been ticked to hear about that and planned on reporting the gym after he beat it. For now, he would bear through the stench.

"Huh? Oh, sure, follow me please," the lady said, and Ash followed her. He was led to the gym room where another young woman was tending to the various plants that surrounded it. Ash felt like face palming. _'Really? Plants in here? Where Pokémon could utterly destroy them with attacks? What were they thinking?'_

"Erika, you have a challenger," the young woman said then turned around and left. Erika stood up and wiped her hands on her kimono before turning around to look at Ash. He had to fight down a blush when he saw her beauty. _'What is with me lately? I've never blushed this much around beautiful women before!'_

"Welcome, I am Erika, the gym leader of the Celadon City Gym. And you would be...?" the gym leader asked. Ash was surprised that she asked outright. The other gym leaders, bar Brock, asked later.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'm here to challenge you to a battle for the Rainbow Badge!" he declared. Erika giggled at his enthusiasm.

"Very well, this will be a three on three battle with no substitutions on my side, do you agree?" she asked. Ash nodded and got ready to grab a PokeBall. "I'll go first then. Go, my lovely Weepinbell!" Ash's eyes bulged out and he blushed when he saw where she had grabbed her PokeBall from. _'I don't know whether to be jealous of her Pokémon or to feel sorry for them.' _Clearing his thoughts, he studied the Weepinbell. _'It doesn't look too strong, but I better not underestimate her.'_ Deciding on a Pokémon, he unclipped a ball from his belt and tossed it.

"Charmander, you're up!" Ash called out, and Charmander popped out with a cry of "Char!" Erika giggled at the Charmander.

"A typical choice, but we've trained hard to resist Fire types," Erika said. "Now, Weepinbell, use Stun Spore!" Weepinbell gave a deep cry of "bell" before unleashing paralyzing spores from its leaves, spinning around in a circle to spread them faster. Ash had a way to block the spores though.

"Charmander, use Ember and spread the flames around. Burn those spores out. Use Flamethrower after that!" the young trainer commanded.

"Char Char!" Charmander said and spun on the spot, filling the gym with embers and burning down the spores that were heading for him. He opened his jaws and let loose a Flamethrower on the final spin that instantly knocked out Weepinbell. Ash cheered while Charmander struck a victory pose.

"Hmph, you may have easily defeated my Weepinbell, but my next Pokémon won't be as easy. Tangela, take to the field darling!" Ash forced himself to divert his eyes elsewhere when Erika pulled out her next Pokémon after storing away Weepinbell. Her Tangela appeared with a cry and got into battle mode. Ash just stared at the odd bundle of vines wearing what appeared to be red boots. He had seen Tangela in his Pokémon books of course, but to see one for real was a different matter. He wanted to laugh at just how funny it looked, but held it in.

"Tangela, use Wring Out!" Erika ordered and Ash raised an eyebrow. He never heard of that attack before. _'Huh, guess she knows about the 'other' attacks like I do. Things just got interesting!'_ He watched as vines suddenly shot out of Tangela at a blinding speed and wrapped Charmander up in them like a cocoon and lifting him into the air, only leaving the tail free. He grit his teeth when he heard his Pokémon cry out in pain. He assumed Charmander was being squeezed.

"Charmander, swing your tail around and burn the vines with the flame!" he ordered, hoping his fire lizard had heard him. He apparently had and watched as the flame on his tail began to burn the vines, causing Tangela to cry out and suddenly retract the vines. Charmander fell to the ground panting heavily, but forced himself to stand up.

"Don't give it a chance to recover Tangela, use Ancientpower!" Tangela gave a cry and rocks suddenly appeared floating around the Vine Pokémon. Ash's eyes widened when he saw the attack. He read about the attack once before and new it could knock Charmander out easily.

"Charmander, deflect the rocks with Metal Claw!" Ash said, and Charmander charged up Metal Claw, knocking away the rocks that were coming right at him. He had to dodge a few and one grazed his side, but he was alright.

"Tangela, use Vine Whip and pull Charmander in close and use Sleep Powder," the gym leader told her Pokémon and it did just that, pulling Charmander across the field. It was slow going though as the little Fire type put up quite the struggle. _'Grrr, what am I gonna do? Wait, I know! But I have to wait for just the right time.'_ Ash watched with a critical eye, waiting for the right moment to unleash his plan. Just as Tangela lifted Charmander above its head, he acted.

"Flamethrower, now!" he hurriedly ordered and his Pokémon let loose the powerful Fire attack at close range. The vines once again dropped Charmander instantly, and when the attack ended, Tangela was on its side knocked out and smoking. Erika gasped loudly and Charmander slowly walked back over to his side of the field. Ash looked at him in concern.

"Can you go on?" he asked. Charmander gave him a smile and a thumbs up. "Alright then. We have one more Pokémon to go then that badge will be ours!" He got distracted when the gym leader returned her Pokémon and spoke.

"You've done well Ash, but your winning streak against my Pokémon ends here. Now, prepare to face my strongest Pokémon! Gloom, it's all yours darling," she said and threw out her last Pokémon. Both Ash and Charmander had to cover their noses the instant the Pokémon came out with a "Gloom Gloom". Pulling out his PokeDex, he scanned the new Pokémon.

**Gloom, the Weed Pokémon. Gloom is the evolved form of Oddish. The honey it drools from its mouth smells so atrocious, it can curl noses more than a mile away.**

_'Ugh, typical she would choose such a repugnant Pokemon.'_ He was broken from his thoughts when the gym leader ordered a Double-Edge. One second it was on Erika's side of the field and the next it was plowing into Charmander. His Pokémon had no chance against such a powerful attack in his weakened state and fainted right away. Ash glared at the Gloom that was now back on its own side of the field and returned Charmander.

"You did an amazing job Charmander, you take a good rest," Ash said to the PokeBall before putting it back on his belt and turning to look at Trapinch. "You're up buddy," he said. Trapinch looked panicked at having to face a Grass type. "Come on Trapinch, you haven't had a gym battle for a while, it's time to shine once more!" Ash encouraged. Trapinch sighed and jumped off his trainer's shoulder and on to the field. Erika raised an eyebrow at his choice.

"I've never seen or heard of this Pokémon before so we'll keep our guard up! Gloom, use Sweet Scent," she ordered and Gloom released an intoxicating smell that left only Ash in a drug-like induced haze since Trapinch didn't have a nose. "Alright, now use Acid!" Gloom lowered its head and shot out bullets of a poisonous substance at Trapinch. Ash snapped out of it in time to order Trapinch to use Dig to dodge the attack. Erika looked victorious.

"So, it's a Ground type? This changes everything. Get ready Gloom," Gloom took a defensive stance. When Trapinch came up from under it, Gloom grabbed a hold of him, intending to launch a close range Energy Ball.

"Trapinch, use Crunch, now!" Ash had seen what Gloom intended to do and had his Pokémon act quickly. Trapinch quickly clamped down on Gloom's arm, making in cry out in pain, but that didn't stop it from launching the Energy Ball. The attack sent Trapinch flying across the field into the wall behind Ash. Ash ran over to his first Pokémon and picked him up, cradling him like a baby.

"T-trap..." Trapinch cried out weakly.

"It's OK buddy, you did your best. You will be avenged," Ash promised and returned his friend before turning to glare at Erika. "That was a cheap shot!"

"Cheap? It's called strategy," Erika said and Ash gnashed his teeth together. Pulling out Nidorino's PokeBall, he called him out on to the field. He came out with a war cry and scuffed the ground with a foot like a charging bull. "A Nidorino? This one may be a bit of a challenge. OK Gloom, use Attract, let's immobilize it quickly." Ash knit his eyebrows together in confusion. He had never heard of or seen Attract before. He was shocked to see Gloom send hearts of some sort at Nidorino. They circled him for a couple of seconds while the Pokémon looked at them in confusion. The hearts suddenly hit Nidorino making him fall in love with the Gloom in front of him and leaving him unable to think of anything else.

"What kind of trick is this?" Ash said in a shocked voice.

"It's no trick. Attract is a perfectly legal move. It causes Pokémon of the opposite gender to fall in love with the Pokémon who uses it. It acts as a Sleep Powder in a way, but the Pokémon is fully awake," Erika explained and Ash stared at Nidorino and he swayed back and forth and had what looked like hearts in his eyes. "Now, let's finish this battle. Gloom, use Solarbeam," she ordered and Ash started panicking. If what she said was true, Nidorino wouldn't be able to defend himself and would receive massive amounts of damage. Doubly so from a Pokémon as strong as her Gloom. He made his decision.

"Stop the attack! I forfeit this match! I won't let Nidorino get hurt like this!" Ash called out and returned Nidorino and fell to his knees with tears in his eyes.

He had lost his first ever gym match.

**End of Chapter 7**

Wow, I don't know what made me type this much for this chapter, but I did. Don't expect every chapter to be this long. If I had to write every chapter this long I would go insane!

I was going to initially continue it after he forfeited, but I wanted to save the rematch and Trapinch's evolution for next chapter to make it a bit longer since all he does next chapter is get a new Pokémon. I'll try and have chapter 8 up soon, promise.

Now, I know I promised to have Trapinch evolve this chapter, but I changed my mind. Deal with it. XD

Oh and I know... Blood in Pokémon? Blasphemy! No, actually, had Pokémon not been a kid's show, I am pretty sure blood would be involved. Pokemon die in the manga series, so it isn't so far-fetched.


	8. Chapter 8: An Easy Rematch

**A/N: **Wow, you guys sure want him to go to the Orange Islands next, huh? No idea why, but whatever. XD That story arc is going to be rather short, that I can tell you right now.

Once this chapter is finished, it will be tied with Kanto Alone chapter-wise. Speaking of which, I decided to hold off on doing the rewrite of that story until this one is done. I don't want any distractions right now, otherwise I will never finish this story.

Oh, and, I have decided to stop putting in dream sequences. I plan on making a one-shot of Trapinch's life before he met Ash instead. That should be a lot more interesting than those dreams.

Anyway, in this chapter, Ash rematches the Celadon City Gym.

**Chapter 8: An Easy Rematch**

It had been three days since Ash forfeited his battle against Erika, and in that time he had done nothing but mope around in his room at the Pokémon Center. He was now sitting on a park bench under a blossoming sakura tree in the Celadon City Park with his head hanging low in self-pity. Beside him, Trapinch looked at his trainer with exasperation. The little Pokémon had one heck of a time forcing his friend and trainer to go outside and get some fresh air. The smell of perfume didn't reach this part of the city, so Trapinch thought it would help get Ash out of his slump, but he was wrong. He didn't understand why his trainer was acting this way at all; it was only one little loss! It had been the perfect motivation for them to train harder, but Ash was acting like it was the end of the world. Trapinch could understand him a bit on his current state; they had after all been winning ever since they met one another, but this was no excuse to remain like this for days on end!

The Ant Pit Pokémon suddenly turned his head away from Ash when he heard approaching footsteps. It was the same trainer that had a Persian the young trainer ran across on his first day in the city. Trapinch scrambled on to his trainer's lap when he noticed the young woman eyeing the spot next to Ash. He turned around and gave a pleading look to her when she sat down, the Persian jumping up on to her lap. He closed his eyes in pleasure when Ash started petting him in an absentminded manner; not noticing the wince of pain the woman next to him gave when the Classy Cat had jumped up on her.

Several minutes of silence followed, the only sounds heard were the noises of the city in the distance and the wild Pokémon that lived around the park. All of them, bar Ash, were watching the wild Pokémon play out their lives. Several Pidgey were fighting over an Oran Berry and making a ruckus; two Rattatas were in a scuffle over territory; a Farfetch'd was swimming around the pond, diving into it looking for food; and a Caterpie in a nearby tree fighting for its life against a hungry Spearow. When Trapinch saw the Spearow attacking the Caterpie, he wanted to help the poor bug and was about to use a Giga Drain on the bird, but it was too late by that point. The Spearow had managed to get a hold of the green caterpillar with its sharp talons and was pecking away at it; killing it instantly. It ate half of its meal and flew off with the rest of it.

Trapinch looked down sadly, ashamed that he hadn't been able to help, though he snapped his head up at the sound of a feminine voice almost immediately.

"Don't be sad little one," the woman next to Ash said. "I could see you wanted to help that Caterpie and I commend you for it, but you mustn't go interfering with nature. Had you scared off that Spearow, you might have condemned it, or possibly its chicks, to starvation. Those birds have enough trouble getting meals as it is because of their small body size and the competition from Pidgeottos and rival Spearows. They are lucky that Fearows prefer fish, Pidgeys are fruit and seed eaters, and that Pidgeots go for larger prey or otherwise they would be even more scarce across Kanto than they already are."

Trapinch looked horrified at the information he had been given. He could have caused a Pokémon to die from starvation!

"Thankfully they are more common in Johto where they have almost no competition for food. Other than a Pidgeotto here and there, there are the occasional diurnal Noctowl and Hoothoot, but those Pokémon prefer hunting Rattatas, Raticates, Pichus, and Pikachus, so they aren't much of a problem for the Spearow there. There are a couple more bird species in Johto, but they are no threat. Murkrow are scavengers that tend to live around humans, while Natu and Xatu are fruit and nut eaters. Oh and I almost forgot Skarmory and Delibird, those Pokémon are fishers and berry eaters." Trapinch just tilted his head in confusion. He figured she was just rattling off information as if she was used to it, but he had never heard of Johto before. It was probably a nearby region he guessed.

Trapinch heard the brunette woman sigh and looked up to see her staring at his trainer with a contemplative look. She shrugged, as if coming to a decision, and quicker than he could blink, had raised a hand and smacked his trainer upside the head with such force that it sent him flying off the bench. Trapinch had no time to react and thus was crushed under Ash, who was now laying face first on the ground, holding the back of his head and moaning in pain. His depressed state was forgotten for the moment.

Lifting himself up off the ground, the young trainer dusted himself off before picking up Trapinch and placing him on his shoulder. He knew his Pokémon would be alright; he had a tough exoskeleton that could even withstand a Body Slam from a Golem.

Suddenly turning around, Ash glared at the older trainer.

"What in the world was that for?!" he shouted, anger and indignation taking over. The woman sitting in front of him put on a mask of boredom and disinterest. Pretending to be interested in her nails, she explained.

"Well, you weren't responding, so I had to do something. Obviously you are bothered with one thing or another, I've seen plenty of trainers in your position before. Mostly after losing an important battle," she said. At the mention of losing a battle, Ash's shoulders slumped and he sighed, his anger disappearing. He started feeling depressed once more. The young woman just raised an eyebrow at this.

"Ah, so that's it huh? You lost a battle?" She guessed and Ash nodded in response. "So what's the problem? Everyone loses a battle here and there, it's a part of life. Losing should make you want to train harder, not mope around." Ash just shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the ground. Trapinch just shook his head in disbelief at his trainer. He still couldn't believe Ash was acting this way, this just wasn't like him!

"Since we are in Celadon City, I am assuming you took on Erika and lost, right?" Ash responded by just nodding again at her question. "Would you care to tell me how you lost?" the woman said. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted one eyebrow; highly curious.

"I forfeited," Ash replied in a despondent voice. The brunette woman was taken aback at this answer. The Persian on her lap just tilted her head in curiosity.

"Forfeit? You forfeited?" she asked in a shocked voice. Trainers rarely forfeited battles, so it had been a long time since she had heard of one doing so. The ones who do are usually trainers with no confidence, but this young man before her was exuding it when she came across him the first time. It was quite the conundrum for her.

Before she could get in another word, Ash got defensive.

"What did you expect me to do? My Nidorino was under a move called Attract and wouldn't be able to understand what I said to him!" he shouted, scaring off the Pidgeys that were nearby. Balling his fists, Ash looked down at the ground. "I didn't want him to be hurt," he mumbled, but the woman heard him anyway.

"So you decided to give in so that your Pokémon wouldn't get hurt? Well, I'm certainly impressed," she praised, making Ash look up with an astonished look on his face. "Not many trainers would do that you know. Most would still try and make their Pokémon fight, even when they couldn't," the woman elaborated when she saw the look on the younger trainer's face.

She went to stand up, but the seventy pound feline on her lap refused to budge.

"Persian, off," the brunette ordered, but the cat didn't listen. Instead, she started purring and kneading her trainer's lap, much to the discomfort of the lady. "Ow ow ow ow ow! Get off you big furball!" she yelled, and roughly shoved the Classy Cat off of her lap, causing the feline to howl in surprise as she hit the ground. Sighing, the older trainer stood up and dusted off her pants, scowling when some of the white hairs from her Pokémon refused to come off. "Honestly! Now I'll have to wash these pants _again_! Stupid winter coat shedding feline," the brunette mumbled. Shaking her head, she looked up at Ash and noticed the amusement on both his and Trapinch's face. "That cat is the devil incarnate with fur! Anyway, come with me," she said, and walked away. Bewildered, Ash followed behind her.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

They arrived at a decent sized, open field area of the park within a few minutes. The woman stopped and stood on the outer edge of it and Ash stepped up beside her, looking up at her with a confused expression.

"Kid, you and I are going to have a battle right here, right now. I did promise you one a few days ago didn't I?" she said in response to Ash's shocked face. He had apparently forgotten all about his battle request with her.

"I can't believe I forgot about that!" Ash said, slapping a hand to his forehead. Suddenly, his expression turned to one of anger once he realized what the young woman had called him; he glared at her. "Hey, I'm no kid! My name is Ash Ketchum!" She put on a pair of sunglasses and looked down at him.

"Well, thanks for telling your name," she thanked, and tapped her chin in thought. "Ketchum, Ketchum... I know I have heard that name before somewhere... Ah ha! Sean Ketchum! He wouldn't happen to be a relative of yours would he?" she asked Ash. He blinked when he heard the name.

"Yeah, he's my dad, why?" he asked, tilting his head a bit in curiosity. He was startled when she suddenly burst out laughing. Calming down, she lifted her sunglasses to wipe away a fake tear.

"Oh, it's nothing really. He challenged me a couple of years back and got his butt handed to him is all. He tried to overpower me, but it didn't work. He's a trainer who likes to overpower his opponents instead of using both power _and_ strategy." Ash was confused as to why his father would challenge this young woman, but before he could ask anything more, she interrupted him. "Now, let's see if you are different from your dear ol' dad, shall we? We will have a one on one battle with our first Pokémon, is that alright?" she asked. He nodded and walked over to a spot on the field. The young trainer didn't feel like battling this soon after his first loss, but he wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to battle a trainer with years worth of battling experience.

The woman took a spot on the opposite side of the field. "OK, you may send out your Pokémon first," she told Ash. He nodded.

"Trapinch, time to battle," he ordered, and Trapinch happily jumped off of his trainer's shoulders and onto the grassy field. He desperately wished this battle would bring his trainer out of his funk, the depression over a simple loss was getting to him as well and Trapinch hated it.

The brunette woman raised an eyebrow. "A Trapinch was your first Pokémon? Odd starter choice for Kanto-born trainers, but who am I to judge? Alright Persian, let's show this kid what we are made of!" she yelled and her Persian immediately jumped into a battle position in front of her trainer. "I'll let you make the first move, Ash."

"Trapinch, underground!" he immediately called out and Trapinch did as ordered. Ash knew Persian were notorious for being extremely fast, but while they were fast on land, they didn't hold a candle to the underground digging speed of a Ground type.

"Hold your ground Persian," she told her Pokémon. The cat gave a meow in acquiesce and stood her ground, waiting for the attack. Ash gave a small smirk.

"You know what to do Trapinch," Ash said.

The woman seemingly timed the attack perfectly. "Persian, jump now!" The Classy Cat jumped, and moved forward a bit to dodge the incoming attack, but the plan failed when she suddenly felt a horrible, searing pain in her tail. Quickly landing with a howl from the pain, the feline looked back at her tail and saw her foe with his powerful jaws enclosed on her tail. They were glowing a deep purple color. The eyes of Persian's trainer went wide. She hadn't been expecting this at all. "Persian, try and dislodge Trapinch, now!" she ordered.

"Hang on as long as you can Trapinch!" Ash counter-ordered when he saw the Persian frantically running around and slamming her tail into the ground. The woman growled in frustration.

"Enough of this! Persian, Iron Tail now!" she shouted, and Persian stopped running around. She jumped into the air with a glowing tail and did a one-eighty flip in the air, descending with her tail first. Ash's eyes went wide when he saw this.

"Trapinch, let go!" Ash frantically ordered, but it was too late as both Persian's tail and Trapinch smashed into the ground with such high velocity and power that it kicked up a cover of dust. The only thing heard was the cry of pain from Ash's Pokémon when he impacted into the ground. "TRAPINCH!" Ash shouted in worry.

"It was a good try Ash, but this battle is over," she declared. Both trainers waited in anticipation. When the dust finally cleared, Persian was standing there perfectly fine, and Trapinch... was on his feet panting harshly. Persian and her trainer were absolutely gobsmacked.

"Alright Trapinch!" Ash cheered and decided to order an attack while his opponent was stupefied. "Use Giga Drain!" Trapinch, still panting, opened his jaws and glowed green. A tendril of the green struck the shocked Persian, causing her to tense and double over in pain. He cut off the attack once he was energized once again. Persian shook it off and hissed menacingly at Trapinch.

"Guess I underestimated you, Ash, but it won't happen again," the young woman said once the shock had worn off. "Let's see if your Trapinch can withstand this! Persian, Water Pulse onslaught!" she commanded, and Persian smirked before opening her mouth and unleashing a barrage of condensed water balls. Trapinch flailed around the field, trying to dodge the attack. One managed to graze his side and he cried out in pain as the water touched him. He refused to give up though, he wouldn't let Ash down this time.

Ash growled in hopelessness at the situation. _'If I have him use Dig, she'll just order her Pokémon to fire those Water Pulses down the hole!'_ He watched in horror as one Water Pulse scored a direct hit, sending Trapinch skidding across the ground. He stood up on shaky legs and glared at the smirking feline. The little antlion couldn't take much more of this.

"I have to admit, your Trapinch sure has endurance and willpower, but it is time to end this battle! Persian, fire one last Water Pulse, and make it large," the woman told her Pokémon partner. Persian opened her mouth once again and gathered a large ball of water in front of her mouth before firing it.

Time seemed to slow down for Ash and Trapinch and they watched the ball of water come closer and closer. Trapinch closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable. He suddenly felt a protective power flow out of him just as a gong-like sound reverberated the area. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a shield of green energy in front of him. Trapinch was shocked! He had just learned Protect! Twisting his head, he looked up at his trainer to notice he was shocked as well.

"Well that was an inconvenient time for your Pokémon to learn Protect, on my part anyway," the lady grumbled. "Alright Persian, this time go for a-" but she stopped mid-sentence when she saw Trapinch seize up and topple over.

He was out cold before he hit the ground.

"Trapinch!" Ash shouted and ran out on to the now muddy field. The young trainer picked him up and held him close to his chest and looked down at the Pokémon. "Trapinch, what happened?" He was extremely worried when he got no response out of his friend.

The woman gave her Persian a few pets and scratches behind the ear for a job well done before walking up to Ash and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Trapinch will be alright, Ash. The move Protect is quite advanced and difficult to learn, and for such a young Pokémon like your Trapinch to learn it on the fly like that, is quite astounding to say the least. I'm surprised it didn't pass out as soon as it used the attack. If it is this strong now, I can only imagine how powerful it will be in the future. Don't worry so much, some rest to recover the energy lost from Protect and my Persian's attacks and your Pokémon will be right as rain soon enough," she reassured, and took off her sunglasses and put them away in her purse. "Now, I would suggest taking a month, at the very least, to train your Pokémon," she suggested.

"A month?!" Ash shouted, completely flabbergasted at the suggestion.

"Yes, a month! You'll have plenty of time to get the rest of your badges and train for the league, now stop worrying. I suggested a month because I noticed a lack of training in certain areas where your Pokémon are concerned," she said, and seeing the look on Ash's face, continued. "You've obviously been training hard in the attack and strategy department, and that's good, but your Pokémon lack true endurance and defense. This will end your battles quicker than you can think in the Pokémon League; with you as the loser. To be perfectly honest with you, I had Persian go easy on your Trapinch. Had I really wanted to win, I would have had her end it with that Iron Tail," she blatantly stated. Ash just stared at her in shock.

"Easy? You call that going easy on me?" he said incredulously. The woman just ignored him and looked at her watch.

"Well shoot, I'm late. Here," she said, and pulled out a card from her purse and handed it to Ash. "That's my business card if you ever want or need to contact me." The young trainer flipped it over and looked at it. It was a simple looking card with a shadowed Persian in the top left corner and the information in the center._ 'Amara Blackthorn, International Champion. Phone Number: 555-6890. E-mail: internatpokchamp1 ' _Ash read and was confused at her title. _'International Champion? What's an International Champion?'_ Looking up from the card, he opened his mouth to ask her, but quickly shut it in confusion when he saw that she wasn't there anymore. _'Huh... Guess she really was late after all.'_

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Ash had decided to take Amara's advice and had sought out a good place to train his Pokémon for a month. It took him a good three days before he found a decent area. The area he had found was a secluded forest that led down to a beach. Ash had to walk about one and a half to two miles out of Celadon to find it, but he felt that it was worth it in the long run. The forest was teeming with natural foods that would easily sustain them for several months at a time. Not to mention there was a crystal clear river that ran into the sea that they could drink from. All in all, the young trainer was extremely happy with the place.

For the next four weeks, Ash worked with his Pokémon nearly day and night to strengthen them in all areas possible. For Trapinch and Gyarados, who were slow on land, he tied boulders relative to their size to them and had them move to make their legs and bodies stronger. When each were successful at moving around with the boulders, he had them running with them afterward. This went on until they were capable of running (or in Gyarados' case, slithering) with boulders far larger than they were tied to them. Ash then had them start lifting the boulders with their heads and necks to make them just as strong with the rest of their bodies. When they were finally removed, even the extremely slow Trapinch was capable of running at a decent speed on land, especially after learning a surprising move - Quick Attack. Both Ash and Trapinch were shocked that such a slow Pokémon could learn such a speed based moved. Though while it made Trapinch faster on land, it nearly made him a speed demon underground.

While the body building with rocks went on, Ash trained his other two Pokemon's bodies in a different way since both where already capable of running on land. While both Charmander and Nidorino were decent runners already, their trainer wanted them to become even faster. To achieve this, he had them pushing their limits while running laps. Charmander, who was slower than Nidorino because he was running on two legs instead of four, had to be pushed a little bit harder. It was made easier for him when Ash finally taught the little orange fire lizard Dragon Dance, but since the power up move was only temporary, Charmander had to learn to keep running at the speed he had with the power boost.

It wasn't an easy task.

The young trainer had also trained his Pokémon hard in attack endurance, both in taking attacks and making their attacks last longer and be more powerful. It was a long, difficult, four weeks in doing this, but the payoff was well worth the effort. Oh, Ash knew his Pokémon weren't up to Elite Four standards, they would have to train this hard for years in order to be, but he was confident he could take on the rest of the gyms and win at the Pokémon League. At least, he hoped he could. He knew there would be trainers entering who had trained for years, but that wasn't going to stop him and his team from trying their hardest to reach the top.

Ash had made all of his Pokémon learn defensive moves and to perfect them as well. He had them all learn Protect and Attract as well as their own special defensive moves if they had any. He taught all but Gyarados Double Team considering that she was such a big target that it wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run whether she learned it or not.

As the month came to a close, Ash and his team worked on field strategies using their attacks, new and old. He also had them do a run through with all of their attacks to make sure they had them down pat. The only problem was Trapinch, who still couldn't use Earth Power properly... It wasn't too big a deal since Trapinch still had Dig, plus Ash figured that he would master it after the little antlion evolved.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Finally, the day for Ash's rematch against Erika dawned upon him. He now stood in the spot he was in a month ago, holding up a PokeBall and ready to win his fourth badge. Trapinch, who was on the ground next to his trainer for once, looked just as pumped up as his trainer.

"Well, I must say I am quite surprised to see you here again. I thought for sure you had left town after you forfeited last time," Erika commented, her hands clasped together in front of her. Ash narrowed his eyes.

"I left to train my team for a month. I'm not one to ever give up!" the young trainer exclaimed. Erika reached into her kimono and pulled out a PokeBall.

"Then show me how much you have trained! Tangela, come on out my darling," she called out and released the ball of vines from its ball. _'So, she's starting with her Tangela first this time. That's fine with me!'_

"Nidorino, take down her Pokémon!" Ash commanded and released the Poison Pin Pokémon. He came out with a battle cry and got into a defensive stance since the stance had been ingrained into his brain from the long training session. _'Tangela is a pure Grass type, Nidorino's Poison attacks will be super effective.'_ "Nidorino, Focus Energy!" Nidorino obeyed and dipped his head down a bit and his body started exuding a red aura.

"Two can play at this game! Tangela, use Growth," Erika ordered and a green glow surrounded her Pokémon, pumping up its attack power. "Now, attack with Power Whip and send Nidorino flying!" Tangela gave a cry and sent out a large vine toward Ash's Pokémon. Nidorino simply stepped to the side and avoided the attack. After being blasted by water, fire, and lightning for weeks on end, a vine was easy to dodge for him. "Tangela, keep it up with the Power Whips! We'll hit it eventually!" Ash simply smirked and watched as Tangela tired itself out.

"You know what to do now Nidorino," he said in a calm voice. Nidorino narrowed his eyes and his horn started glowing a purple color. He shot off like a rocket towards Tangela, dodging the vines the whole way. Nidorino eventually made contact with his Poison Jab, sending Tangela into the air with a cry. "Ice Beam now!" The Poison Pin Pokémon quickly formed and shot off an Ice Beam from his horn, freezing the flying bundle of vines. He jumped backwards as the large block of ice that was Tangela impacted with the ground, sending dirt and dust into the air. Erika let out a huge gasp.

"Tangela, no!" she cried out in distress before returning the frozen Pokémon to its ball and pulling out another one. "You may have won the first round, but you won't win this one! Weepinbell, it's your turn now!" She tossed the ball and her second Pokémon emerged with a cry of "bell".

"Nidorino, return!" Ash said and looked down at Trapinch, giving him a flick of the head indicating it was his turn. Trapinch smiled and walked on to the field with confidence.

"I see you aren't sticking to what you did last time and using the same Pokémon until it faints," the gym leader commented.

"Of course not. That was one of my mistake last time and I'm not doing it again! Trapinch, underground," Ash told his first Pokémon and he complied, quickly digging underneath the gym.

"This again? It didn't work out all that well last time, I doubt it will work again! Weepinbell, send out a continuous Stun Spore," Erika ordered and Weepinbell gave a cry before shooting out multiple yellow spores. _'Trying to keep me underground is she? It won't work sadly.' _

"Trapinch, Quick Attack then Sand Tomb!" Ash called out and the attack strategy he had used to first capture Nidoran suddenly formed under Weepinbell. Trapinch jumped out of the pit and grabbed onto the Flycatcher Pokémon and pulled him down into the swirling vortex.

"Weepinbell, use your Vine Whip and try to get yourself out of there!" Erika called out in desperation. With its eyes closed, Weepinbell shot out two vines and they found purchase to a pole in the back of the gym. Unfortunately, the constant motion of the Pokémon caused it to lose its grasp and it went underground. A few seconds later it was spit back out, right into its own Stun Spores. Weepinbell cried out in pain from the spores. Erika called out to it, but it was in too much pain to hear her.

"Trapinch, finish it with a Bug Bite and Body Slam combo!" Ash told his Pokémon. Trapinch flew out of the ground, avoiding the spores in the air, and bit Weepinbell on one of its leaves with a lime green glowing mouth. The Flycatcher Pokémon cried out even more from the pain and didn't even notice as Trapinch jumped into the air and the poor thing blacked out as a heavy weight landed on it after smashing into the ground.

Erika returned her Pokémon and glared at Ash. "That was brutal!" she yelled. Ash just shrugged.

"I call it payback," he said with a smirk.

"You may have won against my first two, but you still won't win against Gloom!" the gym leader declared and released her final Pokémon.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Trapinch, return," Ash told him, and Trapinch ran back to his side.

"The only Pokémon you have left is Charmander, and Gloom is specifically trained to deal with Fire types," Erika explained, and Gloom gave a cry of "Gloom Gloom" in agreement.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have _four_ Pokémon, not three," Ash said and Erika started to get nervous at this revelation. "Now it is time for her first real gym battle! Gyarados, time to battle!" Ash called and released the large, blue serpentine Pokémon came out with a deafening and intimidating roar. Gloom stepped back, clearly intimidated by her opponent due to Gyarados' ability.

Erika's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, but she collected herself.

"We won't give up just because of a Gyarados! Gloom, Energy Ball now!" Gloom powered up an Energy Ball and fired it at Gyarados, who quickly threw up a Protect without much thought.

"Nice try, but no. Gyarados, burn this field with Flamethrower!" Ash ordered. He had worked with Gyarados on learning this move for three weeks endlessly. It was difficult for a Water type who could learn Fire attacks to learn said moves, but it was oh so worth it in the end.

Gyarados opened her large jaws and unleashed a blast of flames that quickly and easily set the field on fire. Gloom started panicking while trying to dodge the flames that surrounded it. Erika was crying out about her beautiful field being ruined but quickly ignored that in favor of trying to get her Pokémon out of the flames.

"Gloom, use Acid to try and douse the flames," Erika cried out and Ash winced at the order. He knew this wouldn't douse the flames at all, only make them worse. And indeed it did. As soon as Gloom shot out the Acid attack, the flames increased, causing both trainer and Pokémon to panic even more. Ash just sighed.

"Gyarados, use Hydro Pump on both the field and Gloom and end this battle please," Ash said and Gyarados complied, shooting out a powerful jet of water from her mouth, putting out the fire and sending Gloom flying into the wall behind its trainer, knocking out the Weed Pokémon instantly. _'Oh the irony of that.'_

He returned Gyarados to her ball after thanking her for the win, and waited for Erika to come across the field to present the Rainbow Badge to him.

**End of Chapter 8**

**A/N:** I know I know, I promised to have Trapinch evolve in this one as well as have Ash acquire a new Pokémon, but I want to save it for next chapter for a small tournament he will participate in. I also just wanted to get this chapter done and out of the way, which is why it is shorter than chapter 7.

Oh, and I know Growth ups Special Attack, but Attack and Special Attack aren't defined in the Anime as far as I know, so moves like that won't be in my story.

The training part was short on purpose, I hated writing it...

By the way, it seems like Hoenn is in the lead for once in my poll. I was rather shocked at that to be honest.


	9. Chapter 9: The Evolution Solution!

**A/N:** The poll is now closed! Ash will be going straight to Hoenn after this arc is over!

I apologize for the lack of updates, but my Muse left me for months and has just now come back! That's good news for all of you! XD Here's the chapter I'm sure all of you have been waiting for!

**Chapter 9: The Evolution Solution!**

It had been about a day since Ash's gym battle with Erika and he was now currently sitting in the lobby of the Celadon City Pokémon Center waiting on the physicals he had paid for for his Pokémon to be completed. While Pokémon Centers healed and rented out rooms to trainers for free, physicals were something trainers had to pay for as they took time and were more of a luxury rather than a necessity. But to Ash, it was worth the money since they would tell him where his Pokémon currently stood in with their body strength and their health. He also decided to pay a little extra for a power level exam to see where they stood in terms of power to one another.

Getting tired of sitting, Ash stood up and stretched before spotting a video phone across the Center. _'I haven't called home for three months, I suppose I should.'_ Coming to that conclusion, the young trainer walked over to the video phone and stood in front of it, trying to decide on who to call first. _'Hmmm... I think I'll call Professor Oak first and get that out of the way.'_ Picking up the receiver and putting it to his ear, he quickly dialed in the professor's number and waited.

After a few rings the professor finally picked up as his face appeared on the screen.

"Hello? Professor Oak speaking... Oh, Ash! It's been some time since I last saw you. I thought something bad had happened to you! Your mother has been worried sick!" Professor Oak exclaimed when he saw the person calling him from the other end.

Ash internally winced at the "something bad happened to you" comment, but made no outward expression at it. _'Yeah, something bad did almost happen to me, but I won't be mentioning that any time soon!'_

"Well professor, I did try calling you over a month ago when I was in Vermilion City, but I didn't get an answer," Ash replied. Professor Oak put on a thoughtful expression and looked up at the ceiling.

"A month... A month... Oh! I'm so sorry Ash, I was out of town at a convention making a speech on some research I did to a few colleagues of mine. I suppose I should have left a voicemail message saying that... It must of slipped my mind," he said with a sheepish look on his face. Ash felt like slapping a hand to his own face in exasperation.

"It's fine professor," Ash lied, "there wasn't anything important to talk about anyway."

"Oh, well, that's good," Oak replied with relief. He then noticed something. "Say Ash, where is Trapinch?"

"Huh?" The young trainer replied intelligently. "Oh, he and the rest of my Pokémon are with Celadon City's Nurse Joy getting a physical."

"Ah, a physical. Not many trainers are willing to pay for those, but they are very helpful for newer trainers such as yourself. I urged Gary to get them done on his Pokémon, but he absolutely refused stating he didn't need any outside help with his Pokémon. I do hope that boy grows up one day and learns to take advice from those much more experienced than him," Oak sighed. Ash wrinkled his nose as the conversation turned to his rival and childhood bully, but thankfully the professor change the subject quickly. "So Ash, I haven't received any Pokémon from you since you started your journey, how many have you captured?"

As Oak took a sip of his coffee that he pulled up off screen, he nearly choked on it when he heard Ash's response.

"Three?! Only three?!" Professor Oak exclaimed in pure shock.

"Well, yeah. I'm being choosy about which Pokémon I capture. Plus, I believe in quality over quantity. Of course I plan on having more than six in the future, but for right now, four is plenty for me. It allows me to focus on them more without having to switch all the time," Ash explained. Oak gave a thoughtful hum.

"That's certainly true. Gary has over fifty Pokémon right now and he is constantly switching between them. While it's certainly not a bad strategy, it's one better suited for older and more experienced trainers whose Pokémon can handle that kind of stress," he stated. "He's putting a lot of undue stress on his Pokémon doing this because they aren't getting the rest they need in between training sessions."

Ash felt like fainting when he heard how many Pokémon his rival had. _'Fifty?! Why would he need over fifty Pokémon this early in his life and training career?'_ He felt bad for what those Pokémon were going through, but it wasn't his place to say anything since it wasn't technically abuse.

Deciding to change the topic, Ash remembered what he wanted to ask the professor when he first called him back in Vermillion.

"Hey professor, can I ask you a question?" Ash asked.

"Of course," Oak told him.

"Well, this might make me sound crazy... But ever since I got Trapinch, he and I have been able to feel one another's emotion to a certain degree. Sometimes during battle, I can even feel his pain as well. It's a faint feeling in the back of my head, but it's there and seems to be growing in strength," Ash explained.

Professor Oak gave a hum in thought while rubbing his chin. _'Professor Oak sure has a bad habit of humming when he's thinking...'_ Ash observed.

"Well, I've certainly heard of this phenomenon before, although it is quite rare," Oak finally answered. "It's known as empathy, or the ability to feel others' emotions. Sometimes it can grow to the point that the person or Pokémon is able to communicate thoughts with this ability as well. Ash, are you positive you have been feeling Trapinch's emotions?"

"I'm sure," Ash responded.

"Well then, you've got yourself quite a gift! Have you been able to feel the emotions of any of your other Pokémon?" Professor Oak asked the young trainer. Ash shook his head in a negative way, indicating no. "That's odd... Most empaths are capable of reading just about everyone's emotions. Perhaps you just have a selective ability, or are just beginning to develop it..."

Getting tired of the current conversation since the professor had already answered his question, he decided to ask one more.

"Professor? I have one more question... Who is Amara Blackthorn?" Ash asked.

Professor Oak blinked as his thoughts were interrupted by Ash's question.

"Who is... Oh, have you met Amara then?" he asked the young trainer.

"Yeah... I battled her Persian, and afterward she gave me her business card that said she was the International Champion. I'm just wondering what that means is all," Ash said.

"Oh, well, an International Champion is someone who has defeated five regional champions, and in her case, the Kanto/Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova champions. She had to battle and defeat Lance twice since he holds the champion position for both regions. It was quite the accomplishment, especially since we hadn't had an International Champion for over fifty years before she took the title," Oak explained while taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm quite surprised she let a new trainer, such as yourself, battle her. She must see potential in you if that's the case."

Ash's jaw dropped when he heard what an International Champion was and was left speechless. Just then, he heard a doorbell ring over the video phone.

"Oh! That must be my pizza! I'll have to talk to you later Ash. By the way, if you're interested in Amara's battles, they are all posted on the Pokémon League's main website. Bye!" With that, Professor Oak ended the call with Ash still staring at the screen in shock.

Eventually, the raven-haired trainer came back to his senses and slowly hung up the video phone's receiver. _'Wow, I can't believe I met such a powerful trainer!'_ Getting a glint in his eyes, Ash suddenly smirked. _'I just found a new goal! Amara Blackthorn, you better cherish your title while you can!'_

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

After checking with Nurse Joy on how much longer the physicals were going to take, Ash decided to go and shop at the famous Celadon Department Store since he had an hour to kill. Standing in front of the department store after getting directions from a passerby, he stood staring at it in awe. The place was massive!

Walking in through the doors, the young trainer had no idea where to even start looking. Shrugging, he walked over to a map of the store that was in the middle of the reception floor and studied it. _'Hmmm, looks like the Pokémon health supplies departments are on the fourth floor. Alright, now to find an elevator.'_ Walking towards the back while fighting his way through a crowd of shoppers, Ash eventually found the elevators and groaned as he came upon them; there was a large group of people ahead of him waiting on the elevators as well.

Sighing, he turned to look for any stairs or escalators instead since they would be faster than waiting on elevators. Eventually coming across both, he noticed that the escalators, too, were crowded with people and scowled in annoyance. Instead of waiting on those as well, Ash headed for the normal stairs, noticing they were completely devoid of people, and started climbing them. _'People sure have gotten lazy...' _After what seemed like forever, he stood at the door that opened to the fourth floor catching his breath. _'Jeez, no wonder no one takes the stairs anymore! Those were killer!' _Regaining his composure, Ash pushed open the door and stepped on to the floor and gasped at the sheer amount of _stuff _the place had.

Shifting his eyes around, the trainer finally spotted a vendor selling PokeBalls. Quickly pulling out his PokeDex, he checked his account balance and whistled. _'Wow, mom seems to have added a lot of money to my account over the past three months! I could go on a shopping spree and still have enough for another one if I wanted to!'_ Shaking his head, he put away the device and fought his way through the throng of people to the PokeBall vendor. Deciding to be conservative, he chose five regular PokeBalls and three Great Balls. He didn't do a lot of catching after all. After getting his PokeDex handed back to him, Ash wandered over to a shop selling healing supplies and bought several items, making sure he wouldn't run out anytime soon.

Just as he was walking down an isle to leave, Ash was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled into a booth. He gave a startled yell, and turned around to deck the person who grabbed him, but lowered his fist when he saw it was just an older lady. A rather short and stout lady at that.

"Hey lady, what's the big idea grabbing me like that? I could have seriously hurt you!" Ash exclaimed.

"I apologize young man, but I saw you and you looked like someone who would be interested in the products I sell here," she stated. Ash lifted an eyebrow at this.

"Products? What products?" he asked. Instead of answering him, she walked over to a good sized box, picked it up, and set in down on the counter in front of him.

"Why, these products of course!" she said and opened the flaps of the box in an invitation. Getting the hint, Ash stuck a hand down in the box and randomly grabbed something and pulled it out. It turned out to be a bottle with thick, clear liquid in it.

"What the heck is this?" he asked. Smiling, the old lady took the bottle from his hand and unscrewed the cap on it. A pleasant smell suddenly permeated the area.

"Why, this is a type of oil Pokémon breeders use on Bug types with exoskeletons. Not only does it help sooth any aches and pains they may have from old age or battle, but it also helps to toughen up their bodies as well," she answered. "There are also other oils and lotions in this box for various other types of Pokémon as well."

_Now_ Ash's interest was piqued.

"You mean to say that this stuff can help a Pokémon get stronger? How?" he questioned the lady.

"Well, not get _stronger_ per say, but the oils and other items I sell help their bodies toughen up a bit while also relaxing them. My oils and lotions all come from the natural environment, so they are perfectly safe," she responded. "Ever notice how some wild Pokémon are a bit difficult to defeat in battle? It's because they are constantly surrounded by the plants and minerals that are in my products. Sometimes Pokémon even eat them. However, once in the hands of a trainer, a Pokémon's skin will soften to normal thickness. This is where we breeders stepped in and discovered what made some wild Pokemon different from captured ones when it came to battling, and viola! Of course different breeders make different types of oil and lotions, but they basically work all the same. Some better than others," she stated with a smile. It was obvious to Ash that she was talking about _her_ products.

Ash _had_ noticed this about wild Pokémon now that he thought about it. He never took any notice to it, however, never deeming it important. Though the young trainer did notice a shift in his Pokemon's defenses when he started allowing them to eat natural foods and wander around outside of their PokeBalls more often; he would have to keep this up. He was suddenly broken out of his thoughts when a box was shoved into his hands.

"Huh? You're just giving these to me for free?" Ash asked in wonder.

"Of course! My shop here is just to get trainers and breeders alike interested in my products, so these are all free samples. Of course you'll have to buy them from the Pokémon Marts around Kanto and any other region I ship these to when you run out. Just mention my name, Nora Fitzgerald, and the marts will know what to sell you," the now named Nora told Ash.

After thanking the old lady profusely, he carried the box along with all the supplies he bought clear back to the Pokémon Center.

To say he was exhausted by the time he got there was an understatement.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

Setting the box and his backpack down on the floor, Ash flopped on to his bed in the room he got from the Pokémon Center and sighed. _'Man, I thought I would never get back here!'_ Just as he was closing his eyes to rest, a ding sound went off in his room, making him shoot straight up on the bed in fright. Suddenly he heard Nurse Joy's voice over the intercom that was somewhere in the room.

"**Ash Ketchum, your Pokémon are ready. Please come to the front desk to pick them up. Thank you!**"

Calming his racing heart, Ash stood up and groaned at being denied sleep, but grudgingly went to pick up his Pokémon regardless.

Trudging up to the front counter, he took his Pokemon's PokeBalls from Joy with a thank you.

"You're welcome! I also have the files I put together on each of your Pokémon for you to look over and study," Joy said and handed Ash four manila envelopes that contained the information from his Pokemon's physicals. He took them from her with another thank you, too tired to say anymore, and walked back to his room. He set the envelopes on top of the box, stuffed his PokeBalls in a side pocket of his backpack for safe keeping, kicked off his shoes and once again flopped down on the bed without changing in to pajamas and drifted off into dreamland.

It was five in the morning the next day when Ash finally awoke. Groaning, he opened his eyes blearily and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand next to the bed and grunted at the time. Lazily throwing an arm over his eyes, the young trainer tried to go back to sleep, but his effort was futile. After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, Ash decided to just get up. He turned on the bedside lamp and stood up, nearly stumbling into the nightstand from drowsiness, but quickly regained his footing and stretched to get rid of the kinks in his body, moaning in bliss at the action. Scratching his head absentmindedly and messing up his bed-head even more, Ash bent down and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes from his backpack and padded towards the small bathroom connected to his room.

After relieving his bladder, he stripped out of his current clothes, grimacing at their griminess in distaste and throwing them in a pile on the floor, while setting his clean clothes on the counter next to the sink. _'Ugh, I'll have to do laundry today. Great...' _He quickly took a shower after that and changed into his fresh clothes, then brushed his teeth afterward. The dragon master-in-training didn't even bother with his hair, it never lay flat anyway.

Ash walked back out into his room, made his bed, and sat down on the edge of it, staring at the box of oils and lotions and the manila envelopes on top of it. _'Wonder which one I should go through first...'_ Shrugging, he decided on the box since that would take less reading. He sat them on the floor and opened the flaps of the box, gently pulling out each bottle and setting them down at the floor gently as a precaution; he didn't want them breaking after all. Once he got all the bottles out of the box, Ash noticed there were three brushes and a couple of books at the very bottom. Pulling the brushes out, he examined them closely. One was obviously made for Pokémon with long and/or thick fur with its spread out metallic bristles. This brush was a double-sided one, with the other side nearly identical, but the bristles had bulbs on the end of them. _'I won't be needing this brush... Yet.'_ He sat that one beside him on the bed and looked at the next one. This one had very fine bristles that were very close to each other. It was clearly made for Pokémon with short, fine or coarse hair. _'This one will be perfect for Nidorino!'_ He set that one aside as well. The last brush was the smallest one, and, unlike the oval shapes of the other two, was square. Ash ran his fingertips over the bristles and noticed just how soft they were. _'This one must be for every other type of Pokémon.'_

Ash set that brush on the bed as well and moved to sit on the floor in front of the bottles of oils and lotions. As he went through them, the young trainer noticed that there were oils and lotions for nearly every type of Pokémon, even Grimer and Muk! When he opened the purple-colored oil specifically made for those two Pokémon, he gagged and hacked at the horrible smell that the oil emitted. _'That smells worse than an unclean public restroom mixed with several loads of dirty gym clothes!' _Quickly putting the cap back on before he threw up, Ash took several deep breaths as the smell dissipated, trying to clear his nose of the stench. It only took a minute or so for the air to finally clear. _'Urgh, definitely won't be using _that_ oil any time soon. I think I'll just sell it to a Pokémon Mart or something.'_ Setting that bottle aside, far away from the other ones, he continued his exploration of the bottles.

Fifteen minutes later, Ash was satisfied with the free items and stuffed them into his ever enlarging backpack, making sure to keep the purple-colored one out. Instead, he stuffed that one inside his jacket pocket, intending to sell it at a later date. Unzipping the one pocket of his backpack that held his PokeBalls, he grabbed the four balls and clipped them to his belt and stood up from the floor and walked over to the box since he still had to look at the two books that came with the other items as well. He bent over and pulled both of them out and looked over their titles. The thicker book was titled simply **'A Guide to Pokémon'** while the other one, which was slimmer, was titled **'A Breeder's Guide to Pokémon'**.

"Not particularly eye-catching titles..." Ash muttered to himself. Shrugging, he stuffed them into his backpack as well, after rearranging some things to make room, and decided he would read them if and when he found the time and desire to. If there was one thing Ash Ketchum hated to do, it was reading books.

Looking out the sliding glass door that led out onto the small porch every room had, he noticed that the sun was just starting to peek up over the horizon. _'I think I'll get some training in for my Pokémon before we head out today. We've stayed way too long in this city.'_ Giving himself a nod at his thoughts, he picked up the manila envelopes and the box after putting on his backpack and headed for the bedroom, putting on his League hat before he left. Ash knew just about every Pokémon Center had a battle field outside in the back, so that is where he decided to venture to.

When he finally stepped outside on to the battle field, Ash took a deep breath, smelling the cool, crisp and fresh morning air, and let out a sigh in contentment. It wasn't every day he got to feel the morning air like this since he usually slept in late.

He walked over to a nearby bench and set the envelopes and his backpack down before walking over to the Center's dumpster and tossing the now empty box into it. Going back to the bench, Ash stood, facing the battle field, and released all four of his Pokémon at the same time.

"Hey guys, how-" Ash started before he was tackled to the ground. He gave a grunt of pain, but ignored it in favor of petting his team. "Missed me, huh?" They all gave cries of agreement and Ash just laughed. He gently pushed Nidorino, who was licking his face, off of his chest before standing up and dusted off his pants.

"OK guys, we're going to get in some training for a few hours, then we'll be hitting the road," Ash stated and they all cried out in excitement. "Today you're just going to do some mock battles, alright?" His Pokémon looked even more excited; they absolutely _loved_ doing mock battles with each other. "OK, Gyarados, you're with Nidorino. Charmander, you're with Trapinch. Winners will fight each other while the losers will fight each other as well. Go all out if you want to, we're at a Pokémon Center and you'll be healed in no time if you get seriously hurt. I'll be over here on the bench going through the reports on your physicals if you need me, OK?" His Pokémon nodded. "Alright, get to it!" They all cried out and took positions on two of the battle fields. Gyarados and Nidorino took the farthest field from the bench where Ash was now sitting at, while Charmander and Trapinch took the field directly in front of their trainer.

The battles were fierce, and Ash was constantly looking up from the reports to make sure his Pokémon were alright, though they seemed to be enjoying themselves, so he had nothing to worry about.

He quickly skimmed over the reports, just wanting to get the main information from them and if there was anything wrong with his Pokémon. From what he skimmed, everything was fine, though Trapinch's report showed that his energy levels were a bit high, but Nurse Joy put down a note that it wasn't anything to worry about and it just meant he was getting closer to evolution. Ash smiled at this, excited at the prospect of his starter finally evolving into his very first Dragon type. Well, part Dragon anyway.

Sighing, he finally put the reports away, putting them behind the two books in his backpack, and decided to watch his Pokemon's battles. Ash looked at Charmander's and Trapinch's battle first. Charmander unleashed a Flamethrower with a cry of "Char", but Trapinch easily dodged it by going underground. The little fire lizard cut off his attack quickly and felt for any shifting in the ground from his opponent and jumped. He apparently judged his jumping time right as Trapinch's Dig missed, and the antlion got a face full of fire for his effort, which sent him skidding across the field. He quickly got back up though and charged at Charmander with a Quick Attack, scoring a direct hit.

Nodding to himself, Ash then looked over at Gyarados' and Nidorino's battle. He could tell those two had been going all out by the scuff marks, the cuts, and the bit of bruising they had. He winced at this, but his two Pokémon hardly seemed to notice their injuries since they were so focused on their battle. Nidorino suddenly gave a battle cry from his position on the field, and charged at Gyarados, jumping in mid-air in the middle of his charge and started spinning at an incredible speed. _'Wow, Drill Run always continues to impress me every time I see it.'_ Nidorino smashed into Gyarados and sent her flying backwards a few feet, causing her to cry out in pain, but she quickly retaliated with a brutal Aqua Tail, sending Nidorino soaring across the field where he landed with a 'thump'. Gyarados gave a victory roar, but she quickly cut it off when she noticed Nidorino, slowly but surely, stand back up and glare heatedly at her. He gave a roar of fury and his fur sparked a bit before he shot off a Shock Wave, causing Gyarados to cry out in pain and topple over, her energy finally spent. He gave a snort and walked over to Ash, flopping down at his feet to rest a bit before he had to battle the winner between Charmander and Trapinch.

A few minutes later and Trapinch was declared the winner with a well placed Body Slam to Charmander from above. Now, the winners and losers stood facing one another. It was a Hydro Pump attack from Gyarados towards Charmander that started both fights. Fifteen minutes later and both battles ended, all four Pokémon were laying on the ground exhausted. Ash walked up to each of them and gave them congratulatory pets and scratches for their hard-fought battles and returned all of them to their PokeBalls. _'No need to waste my recovery items when I'm at the Pokémon Center.'_ He shuffled back to the bench and picked up his backpack, grunting a bit at the weight, then went back into the Pokémon Center towards the reception desk and handed over his Pokémon to Nurse Joy asking if she would heal them.

"I just had them in here all day yesterday, why would they need healed so soon?" she asked with a lifted eyebrow, but took his Pokémon anyway.

"They were training this morning and are totally wiped out," Ash responded with a sheepish look and rubbed the back of his head.

Nurse Joy just sighed and took his Pokémon to the back to heal them, saying it would take about forty-five minutes. The young trainer nodded and looked at the clock, noticing it fifteen past eight. _'So... Nine o' clock then. I have forty-five minutes to kill.'_ Suddenly remembering that he had two places to call, he walked over to the video phone and dialed home. He hadn't seen his mother in three months, and he was dying to tell her about his journey so far, with some parts of it cut out obviously.

A few rings later and she finally answered with a friendly but tired "hello". Once she saw who it was though, her demeanor turned from friendly to stern.

"Ash Ketchum! It's been three months since you left home and you're just calling me _now?!_" Delia sternly said to Ash, who winced at the tone, but her voice and face turned softer with a sad undertone. "I've been so worried about you honey, I thought something bad must have happened to you..."

Ash internally flinched at that, but didn't show anything outward and reassured her he was fine and his journey was going fine. He talked with his mother for thirty minutes about his journey so far and about how things were at home. Eventually though, she had to get off the phone, and goodbyes were exchanged along with "love you's" as well. Ash hung up the receiver with a sigh. _'One call down, one more to go.' _Pulling over the phone book that was next to the screen, he flipped it open to the "P" section and ran a finger down the list until he reached the section where the "Pokémon" names began.

"Let's see... Pokémon Academy, Pokémon Beach Resort, Pokémon Call Hotline... Wait, what?" he muttered to himself as he saw that one. Shrugging, he continued down the list. "Pokémon Dream Hotel, Pokémon Ether Shoppe, Pokémon Fruit Farm, Pokémon Gardens, Pokémon Hot Spring Resort, Pokémon, Inc., Pokémon Jingle, Pokémon Kingdom Fashion, Pokémon League - ah ha!" Ash cried out once he spotted what he was looking for. Though now, he had another list underneath that to look through. Sighing, he looked down at the list and finally decided on the Pokémon Gym Administration Office since that was what he was calling about anyway.

Picking up the receiver, he pushed a button below the screen to make it voice-only and quickly dialed the number. After what seemed liked forever, someone finally picked up.

"Pokémon Gym Administration Office, please hold." The smooth female voice over the receiver said. Ash groaned in frustration as pleasant elevator music played in his ear. Five minutes later and Ash was tapping his finger, still waiting, and was close to hanging up when someone finally picked up again.

"Sorry for your wait, how may the Pokémon League help you today?" Keeping the annoyance from having to wait so long out of his voice, Ash responded.

"I'd like to report a Pokémon Gym actually," he said. Typing could be heard over the phone.

"OK, which gym and what is the problem?" the female voice asked.

"Celadon City Gym, and the problem? I've seen trainers being turned away based on their opinions," Ash stated. More typing could be heard.

"Ah, them again? We've sent multiple warnings to Erika about this problem already, but I suppose we'll have to send in some officials for an in-person chat instead. Thank you for reporting this problem, is there anything else we can help you with today?" the lady asked. Ash responded with a "no".

"Very well, have a pleasant day young man!" With that, the call ended. He hung up the receiver just as Nurse Joy called for him to pick up his Pokémon. Walking up to the counter, he took the PokeBalls back from Joy with a "thank you" and strolled over to the computer area this time. He wanted to look at a map of Kanto to see where he should go next. He sat down at the computer after putting his backpack down on the floor beside him, opened a browser window, and typed the Pokémon League's web address into the address bar, pulling up the site. Quickly finding a link to region maps, he clicked on it and clicked on the Kanto map link on the page, pulling up a small version of Kanto. He double clicked on it, enlarging it to full screen and dragged his cursor to where Celadon City was on the map and zoomed out a bit to see the areas surrounding the city.

_'OK, let's see... There's a few small towns between here and Lavender Town, as well as Saffron City. Not entirely sure if I am up to challenging Sabrina yet, considering what I have heard concerning her talents as a trainer from others back home... Oh! Porta Vista! Don't know how I missed going there since it is right above Vermilion City! Yeah, I think I'll head there next for a bit of a vacation and to swing around Saffron City, then head over to Lavender Town and take the long trip to Fuchsia City for the Soul Badge then catch a boat to Cinnabar Island. Hopefully by then Charmander will have evolved into a Charizard and we can just fly back to Saffron City to challenge Sabrina for the Marsh Badge. If not... Well, we have one heck of a long walk back.'_ Ash thought to himself as he closed down the website, and stood up from the computer and picked up his backpack and put it on his back, once more grunting at the weight. _'I'll be a hunchback by the end of this journey, I can just feel it...'_ He stopped at the counter and dropped off his key to Nurse Joy and said his goodbyes before leaving the Pokémon Center.

Ash went over to the laundry mat he had passed on his way to the department store, and spent about forty minutes doing laundry, which he hated every minute of, before walking over to a small, nearby grocery store and picked up a few non-perishables for him and his Pokémon, including some vacuum sealed meat for his Gyarados and Trapinch. He absolutely refused to feed that factory-made Pokémon food to _his_ Pokémon.

Finally wrapping up his time in Celadon City, Ash now stood at the east exit, staring at the city that he had spent so much time in and had given him both fond and not so fond memories. Sighing, he grabbed Trapinch's PokeBall and released him on to his shoulder.

"Well, time to finally hit the road, buddy. You ready?" Ash asked Trapinch.

"Trap!" the little Pokémon cried out. Ash took that as an agreement. Plus, he felt Trapinch's excitement in the back of his head.

Turning around, both trainer and Pokémon left Celadon City behind them.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

They had been on the road for two hours when they finally came across a town known as Rose Town, and boy did it live up to its name! There were roses _everywhere_ Ash and Trapinch looked! The scent that was in the air was natural, soothing, and most of all, pleasant.

"Huh, wonder why this place wasn't on the map..." Ash muttered to himself. Shrugging at the unanswered thought, Ash intended to just walk on by the town, but a loud rumble made him stop. Looking around, he didn't see anything, so shrugged it off and was about to walk again when the rumble sounded off again.

"Oh wait, that's just my stomach! Heh heh..." he said with a sheepish face. Trapinch just rolled his eyes. "Guess we'll be stopping here anyway. How about we grab a bite to eat?" The antlion gave a cry of his name as an affirmative.

Entering the small, but beautiful town, they quickly spotted a small restaurant and went inside, grabbing an open booth by the front window. A waitress came by and took their order, both ordering a cheeseburger and fries, though Ash got a soda and Trapinch just wanted water in a bowl. She kept giving them an odd look as she took their order. _'Probably because of Trapinch.' _

As they waited on their food, Ash listened to the conversations among the other patrons of the restaurant.

"Man, I so can't wait!"

"This year's competition looks tough..."

"Oh yeah, I heard there was an awesome prize this year!"

"What is it?"

"I have no idea, no one does. It's supposed to be a secret and only the winner will know what it will be."

"Well that stinks!"

"Well I heard..."

And so the conversations went. The subject of the talks made Ash insanely curious, especially about the word "competition". Was this town holding a battle competition of some sorts or what? He didn't know, but he would definitely be finding out!

Soon their food and drinks arrived along with the bill, and they quickly ate. After they were done, Ash left the payment and a tip on the table, picked up Trapinch and left. He was dying to find out what this competition was.

He stood right outside the restaurant and gazed around, trying to find someone friendly looking that he could ask. Finally spotting an older gentleman walking down the street, Ash walked over to him and politely asked the man if he could tell him what the competition in this town was about.

"Ah, not from around here, eh?" the older gentleman said jovially. "Well, it's called the Battle Ring, it has been this town's traditional competition every year since this town's founding. Basically trainers will enter with one Pokémon for the whole competition, and each round you will try to knock the opponent's Pokémon out of the ring. Or knock it out cold, whichever comes first. Normally the winners will receive a nice prize, usually a rare item or something, but this year they are keeping it a secret, and only the winner will know what the prize will be. Makes me believe it is a Pokémon!" He laughed then continued talking. "Well, anyway, if you want to sign up young man, just head straight down this road until you hit the center of town. You'll notice a large circular field, that's where the competition is held. Across from the field is a booth, that's where you can sign up." Ash thanked the man and followed the street until he did indeed find the center of the town.

Both Ash and Trapinch stared at the size of the circular field and Ash whistled.

"Dang, that field is huge! We'd be better off just trying to knock the opponent out rather than knock it out of the ring!" Trapinch nodded in agreement at that statement. "OK, well, let's go sign up for this thing, what do you say?" His Pokémon gave a battle cry, and Ash just laughed. Quickly walking over to the booth, he asked the female teenager sitting there, who looked bored, if he could sign up for the Battle Ring.

"Name?" she asked.

"Ash Ketchum" She wrote down his name on a notepad of some sort.

"Never heard of you, you must be from out of town... Pokémon you are entering with?" she asked this time.

"Trapinch." The teenager looked up at this with a suspicious look.

"Is that even a Pokémon?" she asked rather rudely. Ash glared at her and pointed to the Pokémon on his shoulder.

"This is a Trapinch and I want to enter him, if you don't mind," the young trainer shot back at her. She just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she stated and ripped out the under copy of what she wrote down a few more things, and handed the copy to Ash. "Be here tomorrow at eight sharp." Ash snatched the paper and walked away without a word. When he got far enough away out of the teen's hearing range, he let the insults fly, making Trapinch crack up.

He decided to find a hotel or motel to stay in for the rest of the day and was in luck that the town was in no short supply of these. He picked the least expensive looking one and booked a room for the night.

Ash put Trapinch and his backpack down on the bed of the room he got and rummaged through it, looking for the oil he was going to put on his Pokémon. Trapinch just tilted his head in curiosity as he watched his trainer go through the overflowing backpack. He jumped a little in surprise when Ash shouted a loud "ah ha" as he pulled out the bottle of oil he was looking for.

"Come on boy," Ash said. He picked up Trapinch and walked towards the small bathroom. "I've got something to put on you that will definitely help your body get tougher on the outside." Once he was inside the bathroom, he gently sat his Pokémon down in the tub, and Trapinch started freaking out thinking he was going to get a bath. "Calm down buddy, you aren't getting a bath, I promise. Now, close your eyes, I don't want this stuff getting into them just in case it burns." Calming down, Trapinch shut his eyes tight and stiffened in anticipation.

Opening the bottle, Ash sighed in pleasure at the forest-like smell that the oil emitted and poured some over his hands, after he took off his fingerless gloves, and rubbed them together before starting to gently rub it on Trapinch's body. He started on the back and slowly worked his way to the Pokemon's rather large head. He avoided his Pokemon's external opening on his back-end in fear of the oil causing the area to burn.

Trapinch sagged in pleasure at his trainer's gentle ministrations. While Ash pet him a lot on the head, this was a whole new feeling and he was enjoying it immensely. He could feel the oil soak into his exoskeleton, making it harden a bit more than it already was.

Ash gently lifted his Pokémon up with one hand after putting a bit more oil on his hands, and started on the underside, quickly finishing the job.

"OK boy, all done! Stay there for a couple of minutes and let the oil soak in fully, alright?" Trapinch nodded at his trainer's request and watched as Ash walked over to the bathroom sink, wash his hands, and put his gloves back on. He walked back over to the tub and examined Trapinch.

"Hmm..." he hummed, and ran his fingers over the Pokémon's back, feeling how smooth his body was now. "Does your body feel any harder? I can't tell just from touching it," he asked his Pokemon. Trapinch nodded in answer and Ash smiled. "Great! It'll take a lot more oil than this to harden your body to the point of several Iron Defenses, but it's a start. OK, let's go to bed, we have a tournament to win tomorrow!" Trapinch let out a cry of agreement and eagerness.

_**TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT**_

The next morning at eight o'clock sharp, the pair stood waiting among the other competitors of the Battle Ring, looking at the tournament bracket that stood before them on a screen. All of them turned to look at the announcer who had just walked up to the microphone on the stage that was before them. He was dressed in a tuxedo and his black hair was slicked back, giving him a bit of an aristocratic look.

"Welcome all trainers to this year's Rose Town Battle Ring tournament!" he called out and everyone cheered and whistled. Once everyone calmed down, he continued. "This year we have a _very_ special prize for the winner, so everyone better do their best if you want to know what it is!" The crowd, once more, went wild. "Let's get this show on the road! First up we have Jeremy Withers from our very own Rose Town versus Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! Trainers, take your positions on the field please." They both did as they were told and stared at each other with heated glances. "Trainers, release your Pokémon!"

"Ninetales, win this for me!" Withers called out and sent out his beautiful nine-tailed fox Pokémon. It gave a cry and stood ready for battle. Ash just smirked. "Trapinch, take it out, please?" Trapinch nodded eagerly and jumped off of Ash's shoulder and on to the field. Withers just laughed when he saw him.

"You call that thing a Pokémon? This will be easy! Ninetales, take it out with Fire Spin!" he ordered. Ninetales let out a cry of "Nine Nine" before unleashing a torrent of fire at Trapinch. The fire surrounded the antlion in a cyclone before closing in and dissipating altogether. Jeremy was in shock to see that Trapinch had disappeared.

"Where the hell did it go?!" Ninetales looked all around the field for Trapinch, but to both it and Jeremy's surprise, Trapinch suddenly shot out of the ground from under Ninetales, sending it flying into the air with a loud cry of pain. The fox landed on the ground with a loud thump on its side and shakily stood back up, glaring at Trapinch, who was now back on Ash's side of the field, staring at Ninetales with determination. It let out a loud cry, as if to retaliate, then slumped back down to the ground in defeat. Everything was quiet for a moment before the crowd exploded into loud cheers.

"What the hell just happened?!" Withers shouted over the crowd after returning his Ninetales. He was utterly confused at how that small Pokémon beat his beautiful Ninetales so easily.

"Wow, would you look at that folks! Ninetales was taken down in one shot! Looks like even the smallest of Pokemon can be powerful!" the announcer exclaimed in excitement over the roaring of the crowd.

Ash picked up Trapinch and hugged him. "Good job buddy," he whispered to him. Trapinch just nuzzled his trainer's neck in affection.

After several battles between the other competitors, it was Ash's turn to battle once again. He took his stance on his side of the field and stared down his opponent, this time a female. He made sure to study all of the other's Pokémon while he waited on his turn. He knew this battle wasn't going to be easy, his opponent has a Water type.

"Ketchum is up to bat once again folks! This time he is battling Laura Opal from Cerulean City, whose Vaporeon easily took down Jack Yolo's Rhyhorn! Let's see how his Trapinch holds up against a type disadvantage!" the announcer announced. The crowd once again roared in excitement.

Laura released her Vaporeon on to the field.

"I admit, you have some skills, but this is where it ends, kid. I have the type advantage from the look of things," she told Ash a bit cockily.

"Type advantage isn't everything and I'll show you!" Ash shouted back at her as Trapinch walked on to the field.

"We'll see. Vaporeon, get in close with Quick Attack and use Bubblebeam at close range!" Her Pokémon did as ordered and got in close. It opened its mouth and was about to release a Bubblebeam to Trapinch's face, but Ash ordered a Quick Attack as well, and Trapinch ran underneath Vaporeon, dodging the super effective attack.

"Now, latch on to Vaporeon's tail and don't let go!" Trapinch quickly chomped down on the Water type's tail, causing it to cry out from the pain and cut off its Bubblebeam.

"How the...? How is that thing so fast? Whatever, Vaporeon, get that runt off of your tail pronto!" Laura ordered her distressed Vaporeon. It started thrashing around, trying to dislodge Trapinch with no luck whatsoever.

_'Hmph, this thing is hardly as strong as Amara's Persian, it has no chance of getting Trapinch to let go.'_ Ash thought as he watched Vaporeon continue to thrash about, even going as far as to slam its tail into the ground. He wanted it to tire itself out a bit before he ordered his next attack. He looked up at his opponent and noticed her gritting her teeth in frustration.

The crowd was silent in anticipation at the battle's outcome.

Ash noticed Vaporeon slowing down in its movements and called out his next attack.

"Finish it Trapinch, use Giga Drain!" Trapinch, who was still latched on to Vaporeon's tail and seemingly unfazed from all the thrashing, started glowing green and it extended to his opponent's body, causing it to cry out in pain at the super effective attack and stop its thrashing around.

"What? That thing knows Giga Drain?! Vaporeon, no!" Laura shouted in distress over her Pokémon who was clearly in a lot of pain. Eventually Trapinch let go of Vaporeon's tail, which was now badly bruised, and stood in front of it, waiting for another order from Ash. Vaporeon had its head lowered and was panting harshly.

"Vaporeon, hurry, use Water Gun!" Recovering somewhat, Vaporeon raised its head slowly, wincing with the movement, and let out a weak cry before opening its mouth to let loose the Water attack.

"Uh oh, better end this fast," Ash muttered to himself. "Trapinch, Quick Attack!" Trapinch obeyed and ran at Vaporeon, a white trail of energy flowing from behind him, and smacked into Vaporeon's chest, sending it flying out of the ring that marked the field.

"We have a ring out folks! Ash Ketchum once again wins in a stunning display of strength and strategy, even when the odds weren't in his favor!" The crowd went wild when the battle ended.

Laura sighed sadly and returned her inured Vaporeon, giving it praise for a well fought battle.

Several more battles later, it was time for the semi-finals, and Ash's opponent this time was an older looking gentleman who was probably in his early fifties, named William Gerald who was from Vermilion City. Ash had watched this guy intensely and knew this wouldn't be an easy battle like his other two had been.

"It's now time for the semi-finals! Ketchum is up against quite a difficult opponent this time, will Trapinch be able to handle it?" the announcer stated, and the crowd cheered. They couldn't wait to see this battle! "Trainers, release your Pokémon!"

"I gotta admit young man, that Trapinch of yours is tough, but let's see if it can handle my Pokémon! Pidgeot, time to battle!" William shouted out and released his magnificent bird. It gave a caw of its name before landing on the ground in front of its trainer, waiting to battle. Trapinch walked into position and stared down the large bird Pokémon, sizing up its strength.

Ash smirked as a plan formulated in his head. _'Trapinch will be at a disadvantage on the ground, and Giga Drain won't do much to Pidgeot, but that doesn't mean I will make it easy for this guy.'_

"Pidgeot, take to the skies!" Pidgeot let out of cry and shot into the air with two beats of its powerful wings, causing dust and dirt to scatter below them.

"Trapinch, we haven't had to use this yet, but I think now is a good time as any. Sandstorm!" Ash called out. His opponent raised an eyebrow since he had never heard of this attack before. He was in for a surprise though when a literal sandstorm started to blow throughout the area, causing everyone to complain as sand and dirt got in their eyes. He focused on his Pidgeot, however, when he heard it caw in pain as it was pelted repeatedly with small bits of sand and rock. William managed to somehow see through the sandstorm and noticed his Pokémon was now on the ground, standing stock still with its eyes closed to prevent any sand or dirt getting in them.

"Pidgeot, use Whirlwind to blast this sandstorm away!" Pidgeot complied by opening its wings and flapping them rapidly, blowing it away easily. The sandstorm was abated for a couple of seconds before it came back with a vengeance. Pidgeot cried out once more in pain and William grit his teeth in frustration. _'This kid sure knows how to turn a disadvantage into an advantage! Smart, but annoying.'_ Before he could try and order his Pokémon to do anything else, he heard his Pidgeot cry out in pain and shock multiple times and knew his opponent's Pokémon was now on the offensive, even though he couldn't see what was happening.

"Damn it all! Pidgeot, fight back, do whatever you can, just fight back!" William cried out in desperation. For several long minutes, all that could be heard were sounds of a fierce battle taking place in the sandstorm.

Inside the sandstorm, Trapinch was bombarding Pidgeot with Faint Attacks left and right, while throwing in a Body Slam or two in the process. Pidgeot, deciding it was tired of being hit by a runt of a Pokémon, waited until Trapinch hit it with one of his attacks, which turned out to be Body Slam, and glowed a faint white color before copying the attack with Mirror Move. Pidgeot, being much heavier than Trapinch and with the move being the same type as the bird Pokémon, dealt an effective blow against the antlion, making him cry out in pain as his large foe slammed him into the ground with its bulk. Trapinch picked himself up from the small crater the impact caused, and charged at Pidgeot with a Quick Attack, hitting the bird with full force in the chest causing it to cry out. Noticing his foe's wings on the ground, he leapt at one of them and bit down hard on the bending joint of the wing with a Crunch, causing a loud snap to be heard as the wing broke. Pidgeot let out a horribly shrill cry at the pain, and with its good wing, unleashed an Air Slash before collapsing into sweet, pain free darkness. One of the wind scythes from Air Slash managed to hit Trapinch, sending him flying back a few feet, but he painstakingly got back up on his feet.

Eventually the sandstorm died down and the results could finally be seen by the humans.

Trapinch stood panting several feet away from Pidgeot with several injuries littering his body, but Pidgeot was flat on the ground with its wings spread out, totally out cold. It too was covered in several injuries, including what looked to be a broken wing to everyone's eyes.

William stood there in shock as the crowd went nuts.

"Wow! What an intense battle that must have taken place in that sandstorm! Ash Ketchum will now move on to the finals! They will begin in one hour to give the trainer's and their Pokémon a rest to be fresh and ready for the final battle!" the announcer said as William sighed in acceptance at his loss and returned his heavily injured Pidgeot before walking off to get it healed.

Ash ran out on to the field and picked up Trapinch, cradling him in his arms.

"You did wonderfully buddy, but we still have one more battle to get through, and I have a feeling this one will be the most difficult battle of this tournament for us. Let's go get you healed and rested up," Ash said to his Pokémon, and headed off towards the small Pokémon Center that the town had nearby.

Trapinch sighed and closed his eyes as the gentle rocking motion of his trainer's walking soothed him a bit. That tough fight had worn him out, but it also brought a familiar feeling energy to the surface. This next battle would either make it or break it for him.

The hour passed by quickly and both finalists, Ash and some rough around the edges looking guy named Stewart Nettly, stood facing each other one the field.

"Welcome back for the finals everyone!" The crowd cheered in excitement. "Our finalists this year are Stewart Nettly from Rockedge City, and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! Let's get this show on the road! Finalists, release your Pokémon!" The guy, Stewart just smirked and released his Pokémon.

"Golem!" His Pokémon cried out and stood ready for battle. Trapinch jumped off of Ash's shoulders and got into position. Ash grit his teeth as he stared at the large Rock and Ground type. He saw this guy's battles and knew that Golem was a piece of work to deal with. The only places Trapinch could grab on to were its arms and legs, but he wouldn't risk his friend like that. Sandstorm would be useless as it would only help that Golem. _'Now I wish Trapinch had mastered Earth Power! Man oh man this battle is going to be difficult!'_

"Golem, Earthquake," Stewart ordered suddenly with his deep voice. Golem called out and stomped its foot, causing the whole area to shake from the power of it. Trapinch cried out as it hit, but stood his ground nonetheless.

"Trapinch, try a Giga Drain!" Ash ordered.

"Oh no you don't! Golem, use Rollout to dodge and hit it!" Stewart's Pokémon roared and went into a Rollout, causing Trapinch's Giga Drain to miss since he needed to concentrate with the attack from a distance. The large Rock and Ground type smashed into Trapinch, sending him flying through the air, landing near the ring of the field. He got up and shook off the attack, quickly getting away from the edge of the battlefield. Golem was just coming around for a second attack.

"Trapinch, use our underground Sand Tomb strategy, destroy this field!" Ash growled out in anger at his opponent. _'This guy is good!'_ Trapinch gave a cry and did as he was ordered, totally messing up the entire field with pitfalls.

"No, Golem, stop your attack!" Unfortunately for Stewart, Rollout could only be stopped when a Pokémon using it got hit by a powerful attack or hit a snag on the field. In this case, Golem got stuck in one of the pitfalls Trapinch created and the attack was halted in its tracks. Now that it was stuck, Ash went on the offensive.

"Faint Attack!" Golem, who was stuck in a pitfall, could do nothing as it got pelted by Faint Attacks from its opponent. As Golem was a very defensive Pokémon, the attack didn't do a whole lot of damage to it, but the attack still hurt. Stewart growled at this.

"That Pokémon of yours is annoying as hell, you know that?" Ash just smirked and shrugged in response. "Golem, get the hell out of there and grab that runt!" Golem roared and managed to haul its bulk out of the pitfall and grabbed Trapinch around the middle just as he was coming back for another hit.

"Use Crunch!" Trapinch's jaws glowed a dark purple before he bit down on Golem's hand, causing the massive Pokémon to cry out in pain.

"Mega Punch it!" Stewart growled out and Golem's fist glowed a bright white before it slammed its unoccupied fist into Trapinch, sending him smashing painfully into the ground and stepping back over to its trainer.

"Trapinch, Trapinch get up! We've come this far already, we can't lose, not to a big hunk of rock!" Ash called out to his Pokémon, who was just laying down on the ground unresponsive. "Come on Trapinch, I know you can do it! Come on buddy!" Slowly but surely, Trapinch stood up, panting harshly, and glared hatefully at the Golem that seemed hardly fazed by any of the attacks he managed to land on it. Ash sighed in relief as he saw his friend back on his feet, but now he was very worried as he didn't know what to do against that Golem, which was obviously more powerful than his Trapinch.

Trapinch glared at the Golem as he panted harshly from that brutal Mega Punch. He couldn't, wouldn't, let Ash down like this! He knew of the only way to win now, and excitement grew in him at this thought. He smirked at both the Golem and its trainer, which confused the both of them greatly, before he cried out, unleashing the energy that had been building up for months now. Everyone watched in shock as Trapinch glowed a bright white and starting growing and changing shape.

"Trapinch...? I can't believe it, you're finally evolving!" Ash exclaimed in happiness as he stared at his evolving Pokémon.

When the glow finally died down, a dragonfly looking Pokémon easily four times as large as Trapinch had been, now stood in Trapinch's place. Trapinch, now a Vibrava, narrowed his eyes, let out a warbling battle cry and took to the air. He hovered in place and let forth a stream of gold and purple flames from his mouth, shrouding Golem in a sea of golden fire, causing it to cry out in pain. Vibrava then flew to the ground and slammed his abdomen on to it, causing a tremor to happen before the ground starting splitting and red, hot magma spewed from the large crack as it traveled at Golem at top speed. The crack exploded beneath Golem, and the power of the explosion combined with the magma sent it flying out of the ring with a cry.

"Vibrava, you finally mastered Earth Power! That's awesome!" Vibrava warbled out and smiled in response to his trainer's praise.

The entire crowd and Stewart were in shock at what just happened.

"Uh... I guess that's it for this year's Battle Ring! Ash Ketchum is our winner!" The crowd snapped out of their stupor and went wild.

Ash ran out on to the field and awkwardly picked up his newly evolved Vibrava and hugged him. His Pokémon was now as long as he was tall, but his slimmer body and wings made it difficult to hug him, but Ash managed it.

"You did it buddy, you finally evolved _and_ you won the battle! I'm so proud of you!" Ash whispered to his Pokémon. Vibrava warbled in happiness and wrapped his legs around Ash in a hug as well.

A while later, Ash and Vibrava, who had somehow managed to latch on to Ash's head and back, were now standing in a building waiting on the announcer to fetch the prize they had won. Eventually the guy came into the room they were waiting in holding a rather large backpack in one hand, a box in the other, and one of his jacket pockets extended with something in it. He sat the backpack and box down on the table that was in the room and turned to Ash.

"Well, here are the prizes! A good sized, brand named backpack, which you definitely look like you need," he stated as he eyed Ash's overstuffed backpack. He put a hand on top of the box and pat it. "This box contains one of every evolution stone in the world, which is why we threw in the backpack for the winner. There's also an Everstone in here as well." Ash's jaw dropped at this and he stared at the box in disbelief. "Oh! I almost forgot! The main prize!" The guy stuck a hand in his pocket and pulled out a PokeBall and handed it over to Ash, who just stared at it.

"Well? Go on, open it!" he said eagerly.

Snapping out of it, Ash pushed the button on the ball and released the Pokémon within it. Out popped a small, brown, and furry Pokémon that his mother had gushed about whenever she saw it.

"O-eee, o-eee," the Pokémon cried out cutely.

_'Well, I now have a use for that one brush,'_ was the only thought that ran through Ash's head when he saw his new team member.

**End of Chapter 9**

Phew, what a chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Oh, and just so you know, Pokémon Jingle is a restaurant and Pokémon Call Hotline is a... Well, it's a dating service for Pokémon. XD

I can definitely see people want Ash to win the Indigo League, my goodness. O.o

Anyway, see you next chapter!


	10. Author's Note: Chapter Rewrites

**A/N:** Not a chapter, but I wanted to let you guys know I am rewriting the first three chapters (and possibly chapter 5 as well, and maybe 4 as well, we'll see) of this story and going through the others to fix them up nicely. Chapter 1 rewrite has already been posted and I will be working on chapter 2 soon. The first few chapters aren't meant to be too terribly long, but they will definitely be longer than what they were before.

I'm sorry for not updating with a new chapter, but I lacked the Muse to write, and when I finally got it back, I felt the need to fix the story, because frankly, it could definitely be better.

Anyway, keep an eye out for the chapter 2 rewrite!


End file.
